RWBY Dead Zone (Season 3: Reclamation)
by Emerald Night 117
Summary: Far outside the kingdoms stands a wall. This is the Dead Wall, and it borders the Dead Zone. A place where Aura becomes extremely difficult to use. The last ones to enter the Dead Zone was a small army of huntsmen and huntresses, United under the banner of the Iron Lords. All of them died. Now, five years later, a beacon is lit from deep inside. Full summary inside
1. Chapter 1

_Far outside of the four kingdoms, sits a wall. A wall not unlike those surrounding the kingdoms. The wall is lifeless, dead, but instead of keeping something out, the walls are there to keep something in._

 _The wall borders what is called the Dead Zone. An area in Remnant that's filled with dangers that even a skilled huntsman would have troubles with._

 _You see, the Dead Zone is an area that effects someone's aura. Limiting it and making it harder for someone to use it. The reason that this area can affect a manifestation of one's soul is a combination of a large presence of Grimm and minerals in the bedrock._

 _The Dead Zone is forbidden to all except seasoned hunters, and after the fall of the Iron Lords, the Dead Zone's security has been much stricter._

 _The Iron Lords, a group of elite huntsmen and huntresses. International, fearless, and powerful, the Iron Lords were the vanguard for the kingdoms. Wielding blades inlaid with dust crystals, the Iron Lords were a force to be reckoned with. Until, however, they had a mission to clear out ancient and powerful Grimm in the Dead Zone. Ozpin and Ironwood protested greatly, but the Iron Lords knew what they had to do._

 _Every single Iron Lord from across the world dropped everything they were doing and converged on the Dead Wall in the hundreds. It didn't matter whether they were old or young, retired or recruit. If they were an Iron Lord, in any way shape and form, they were there._

 _The Iron Lords were tasked with clearing out a nest of Ancient Grimm, and they did so, at great cost. The Iron Lords destroyed their enemy, fighting to the last man, literally. No one survived._

 _It's been five years since the Iron Lords fell, and the Dead Wall is patrolled by a considerable sized army of Atlesian Knights. However, as Professor Ozpin welcomes the new students into his school, a beacon is sent, on an Iron Lord distress signal, originating from deep inside the Dead Zone._

Ozpin frowns as he makes his way off the stage. Looking at the scroll Glynda secretly handed to him as the two passed each other.

"Tonight you'll gather in the Ballroom." Glynda says, as Ozpin exits to backstage. He stares at the scroll. On it was a simple map of the Dead Zone, a yellow blip shines like a beacon amongst the dark background of the map. A flaming sword icon in the center of the blip.

"Can it be?" Ozpin mutters, calling up General Ironwood. The general's pale face appears on the screen.

"Ozpin, you getting the beacon as well?" Ironwood asks, going straight to the point. Ozpin nods.

"Yes James." The aged professor says. "So, what are we going to do?"

"I'll send in a platoon of knights." Ironwood says. Ozpin nods. "If an Iron Lord is still alive then we must bring them home." Ozpin frowns.

"James, you and I both saw the battlefield." Ozpin says, Ironwood sighing. "Besides, if the transponder is working correctly. All Iron Lords had transponder identification codes, only cadets didn't. I believe that this is a cadet."

"How could you be so sure Ozpin?" Ironwood asks. Ozpin thinks.

"All the cadets were so torn up James. I don't think there was an intact body there." Ozpin says. "We couldn't identify any of them, so it wouldn't be impossible for us to have miscounted." Ironwood nods. "James, if we find them, we could finally begin training new Iron Lords."

"Indeed old friend." The General says. "However, I'd have to pass on bringing him here. I'm currently in a transition period and things would be hectic for them."

"They'd be more than welcome James." Ozpin says. "I may even have someone they'd might be able to train."

"Young Miss Rose perhaps?" Ironwood asks, with a small smirk on his face. Ozpin nods.

"James, I want to be there." Ozpin says. Ironwood looks to him. "I want to be on the wall when we pull them out." Ozpin's face grows serious. "I want to know why they'd stayed behind, and how they'd survived."

"Understood." Ironwood nods, before cutting the feed.

 _The heart of the Dead Zone._

Green eyes stare at the transponder beacon he'd finally was able to repair and activate.

"After all these years." The male starts, running a hand through his black hair. "I can finally go home." His eyes turn towards this makeshift camp, focusing on a picture that was pinned up. In it was a group of kids no older than thirteen. The male himself was in the photo, grinning at the camera with his arms around a silver haired male and a blue haired female. "I've spent so long trying to fix this transponder. Shiro, Vivian. I promise I'll do right by you." The male makes his way over to the picture, taking it down and placing it in his pocket. Returning his gaze back to the transponder, a faint crashing is heard in the distance. "This place..." He mutters. "It changes a person." Staring at his hand, an extremely faint glow surrounds it before it quickly disappears. "Oum, I still can barely produce enough aura to activate a dust crystal." An amused grin spreads across his face. "But that's better than five years ago." Picking up the sword from his back, the ravenette places both hands on it before the blade is surrounded in flames. The crashing sound grows louder before a lone Beowulf rushes him. Ducking under its claws, the last Iron Lord spins the blade in a wide circle, cleaving the Grimm in half before the flames disintegrate the remainder of the body before it could turn into dust. Removing his left hand from the hilt, the flames extinguish as he sheaths the blade.

Once the teen makes his way back to his small camp, the transponder begins to blink, catching his attention. Grinning when the response light turns on, the teen sighs before pulling out a marker and walking to the makeshift wall of his tent, numbers littering the face of it. The teen writes one thing down, and then returns inside the temporary tent.

 _Day 1825_

 _Shade Kurogane_

 **A/N. Heyo everyone! I'm back in RWBY and starting something I think is a decent. Yes, I've taken some elements from Destiny. But that's where it ends. Welp, you have questions just ask, and I'll see y'all later.**

 **Emerald Night out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alrighty, quick A/N before we start. Thanks to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited.**

 **PLEASE READ THE A/N at the end of the chapter, I know I'm guilty of skipping them, but I'd like you all to read it for some important aspects of the story.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or the few elements from Bungie's Destiny that are in this.**_

The next morning found Ozpin looking at his prospective students while standing on the edge of the cliffs. Explaining the process of Beacon's initiation, with a grin at Miss Rose's reactions, he says one last thing.

"I unfortunately will not be able to oversee this test." The aged headmaster says. "If all goes to plan however, I'll be joining you tonight at the team placements." Turning to his deputy-headmistress, Ozpin nods. "Glynda, I leave them in your care." Ozpin leaves the cliffside as the first few students launch into the air. Making his way to the airship dock, he boards a Bullhead and it takes off, making its way towards the Dead Zone.

 _The Overwatch, Security tower on the Dead Wall._

General Ironwood paces back and forth inside the control room. Winter Schnee stands at parade rest off to the side when Ozpin enters the room.

"Ozpin." The General says, turning to greet his longtime friend.

"James." Ozpin returns. "What's the status of the mission?"

"The beacon is still active and kicking." Ironwood says. "It went offline briefly last night, but was reactivated quickly enough. We believe that they shut it off to do a quick repair." Ozpin nods before turning to Winter.

"A good day to you Miss Schnee." The aged headmaster says. Winter gives a small smile and nods to him. "Might I ask why you are here however?" Ironwood steps forwards.

"Specialist Schnee will join the Knights in the rescue." The general says. "The Iron Lord has been alone for five years, he should see a real face when he gets pulled out." Ozpin nods.

"Alright then." The headmaster says. "Let's go pull him out then."

 _Deep in the Dead Zone_

Shade awoke at the sound of beating bushes. Jumping up, the last Iron Lord grabs his blade before slipping out into the chilled morning air. A roaming pack of Beowulfs caught his scent and Shade must kill them all. Pulsing aura into his blade, the flaming blade roars to life as the Iron Lord pushes every last bit of his aura into it. The Beowulf pack roars and rush the teen. With a muttered curse, the teen spins in a large arc, a burst of flame spreads around him in a circle. The Beowulfs flinch back, and the teen takes advantage of it. Rushing forwards, his blade is extended with flaming energy before the Iron Lord cleaves two in half before turning and stabbing another through the head. Flipping over one of the remaining's wulf's swipe, the teen draws his pistol hidden on his calf. Firing off a few, rare and scarce rounds, he takes off a wulf's head as he burns another. Flipping over the Alpha Wulf, the roar of a Bullhead's engines suddenly fills the area as the airship's guns rip through the remaining Grimm. Staring in disbelief at the gunship, Shade starts laughing manically while waving at the ship. Once the Bullhead lands, around ten Altesian Knights flood out and create a parameter, following the knights was a white-haired woman, likely a Schnee if his memory served him properly. Scythe lightly jobs to the expressionless woman, stopping a few feet away from her.

"It's been five years since I've seen a friendly face!" The ravenette laughs, still in disbelief. "But I know that this isn't a daydream because these knights look different than when I last saw them!" The Schnee grins slightly. "Thanks for coming to get me! Cadet Shade Kurogane at your service!"

"Specialist Winter Schnee." The Schnee responds, a wider grin on her face.

"Schnee huh?" Shade mutters. "I gotta ask, do you have any Burn, uncut crystals?" Winter blinks confusedly.

"Not on me, but there's some back at the Overwatch." She says. "I couldn't muster enough Aura to fully use a crystal, why do you need one?" Shade shrugs and grins, opening the butt of his hilt and sliding out the practically nonexistent Burn crystal from inside the handle.

"I'm almost out." He says with another shrug. "Over time I adapted enough to be able to summon just enough Aura to activate the crystal." At Winter's surprised look he chuckles. "I think it's summed up best with my mentor's saying, 'The light is always there, in everyone and everything. You can try to control it, even try to block it, but it always finds a way.' Basically, it means that if something is stopping you from using the physical manifestation of your soul, your soul will change and grow stronger in order to find a way around the block." Winter thinks for a second.

"However, if one's soul changes, wouldn't that also affect your Aura and Semblance?" She asks, as the two turn to board the Bullhead. Shade shrugs.

"Perhaps, I haven't been able to use my Semblance in five years, but two years ago I could feel that my Aura had changed when I first used it again." He says. Winter nods as the Knights return into the dropship and they take off, heading towards freedom.

 _Overwatch Tower, Dead Wall, five minutes later._

General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin stood at the landing platform as Winter's Bullhead landed. The Knights filed out first, the small platoon returning to their task of patrolling the wall. Winter and the Iron Lord followed soon after. Winter marched directly towards the two while the Iron Lord lagged behind, adjusting to the sudden flow of Aura in his body. He couldn't feel his semblance however, but he'd worry about that later. Following Winter, he makes is way to the two headmasters. Ironwood signals Winter to rest before she even stops to salute.

"My Oum, James." Ozpin mutters. "He can't be much older than my first-year students." Ironwood nods stoically.

"Heyo!" The Iron Lord greets cheerfully. "Ironwood and Ozpin, right?" At the two's nod he continues. "I'm Shade Kurogane, the apprentice of Luna Starlight."

"The legendary Iron Lord scout?" Ironwood asks in disbelief. Shade nods, gesturing to the triple arrow insignia on his shoulder.

"Sir, a scout?" Winter asks, confused.

"I got this," Shade says before Ironwood could speak. "Iron Lords were split into three... Let's say combat roles for now. Guardian, Scout, and Support." He pulls out the picture of his friends. "The white-haired guy there is Shiro Frost, my best friend. He was training under Kuroka Night, a guardian." The Iron Lord takes a break before continuing. "Guardians are basically frontline fighters, they get up close and personal with the enemy and will honestly ruin their day." Ozpin chuckles briefly. "On the flip side, the blue-haired gal is my childhood friend Vivian Aquarius, training under Supporter Celestia Starlight, my mentor's older sister. Supports are basically dust-mages, but could wreak havoc without dust as well." Shade stares at Vivian's face for a moment before moving on. "I'm in the center, training under the before mentioned scout. Scouts are the in between, and most common. They, well, they scout. Gathering information and great snipers, but decent all rounded fighters in general." Winter nods in understanding. Ozpin moves to speak, but shade cuts him off. "Now, don't ask me how I survived because I have no idea. Shiro, Vivian, and I were side by side when suddenly an explosion sent me flying, ripped my cloak as well."

"What was it that you were fighting?" Winter asks. Shade's eyes cloud over.

"A monster." He mutters. "It was this weird turtle like Grimm, but had the ability to animate the dead." The three's eyes widen in horror. "We spent more time fighting our fallen brothers and sisters than actually fighting the Grimm. Luna, Kuroka, and Celestia finally killed the thing in their dying breath, but I was already launched far away." The area is silent for a few moments. "But that's the past. So, where am I going?"

"We thought it would be best if you returned to Beacon with me?" Ozpin says, though it sounded like a question. "I have a prospective freshman that you might find to be similar to an Iron Lord. I wanted to see if you would help her?" Shade shrugs.

"Sure, I don't have anywhere go so that sounds good, could I enroll as well?" The Scout asks. Ozpin nods.

"Ozpin! Come in!" Glynda's voice cuts in from the headmaster's scroll.

"Yes Glynda, what is it?" Ozpin says, grabbing the scroll from his pocket.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao-Long managed to tick off the Ancient Nevermore in the forest. Requesting permission to assist." Glynda says, her hand resting on her riding crop.

"Negative, I think our newest student might be able to help." Ozpin says, glancing to Shade. The teen grins and nods. Glynda sighs. "Trust me Glynda." She nods and signs off. Winter hands Shade a Burn crystal quickly.

"We'll take my ship." She says. Shade nods.

"Got any rifles on it?" He asks, following her to a regal looking ship. She nods.

"A few standard issue rifles." Winter responds.

"It'll do for now." He mutters, following her inside. She points towards the armory as the engines start up.

"Ozpin, inform Goodwitch that backup will arrange be in five minutes." Winter says. "General, permission to-"

"Granted, get there as fast as possible." Ironwood says. The pilot nods and the ship right rockets off.

 _The Emerald Forest._

"Ruby!" Weiss Schnee shouts. "How'd you miss! My shot was perfect!"

"It's an Ancient Grimm Weiss!" Blake Belladonna shouts back over the roars of the Nevermore. "It is a lot smarter than we thought it was!"

"Heads up!" Yang Xiao-Long shouts, before the four roll out of the way of the Nevermore's feathers.

"Guys." Ruby says. "I'll distract it. I'll buy you some time to run." Weiss opens her mouth to retort but a flash of silver catches her eye.

"Winter!" She breathes.

"Who?" Ruby asks.

"My sister! She should be in Atlas!" The heiress exclaims. The group of four watch as the regal ship passes over the Nevermore, an object dropping from it.

 _A few moments earlier._

"We're getting close." The pilot shouts. "The area is too hot to land."

"That's all right." Shade shouts. "Just get me above it. I'll handle the rest." The bay doors open.

"Shade, make sure my sister doesn't die." Winter says. Shade grins.

"I swear on it." He says, before jumping out of the ship. While in freefall, he takes in the situation. The Nevermore was focusing on four students, female according to his information. Another group of four was on the land, three surrounding one who appears to be unconscious. The Nevermore's shreak catches his attention. Drawing his blade, the large influx of flames startles him momentarily before he adjusts to the new amount of Aura in his body. The flames wrap around his blade as he impacts the head of the Nevermore with a massive explosion. Using the force of the blast, Shade flips through the air and lands with a painful impact next to the four girls. Rolling to his feet, the Iron Lord draws the automatic rifle Winter gave him and unloads into the Grimm. The rounds do nothing but anger the Grimm, but that's the plan. Drawing his blade again, he creates a shield just before an onslaught of feathers impacts him. The feathers burn up as he slowly walks forwards. Once it lets up, the ravenette rushes the bird, jumping into the air while slamming his sword into the bird's head once more. There was no explosion this time, however. Instead, the sword glowed red hot before slicing into the Nevermore's skull. Once his blade was hilt deep, Shade kicked on the afterburners, burning the Grimm from the inside out until the bird exploded into flames, sending the Scout flying back towards the four girls. Breaking out of their stupor, Weiss reacted first, summoning a Glyph that slowed Shade down while Blake launched Gambol Shroud. Grabbing the spinning gunblade, Shade yanks on it while Blake does the same. Landing in a heap on the floor, Shade groans in minor protest before pulling himself up.

"Well, that probably left a burning impression." He says, looking at the dead Nevermore. "I guess I'm having fried chicken tonight." The Iron Lord shrugs again before sheathing his sword.

"Umm," Ruby starts, all four looking at the odd male. "Who are you?"

"Oh!" Shade starts, "I'm-"

"That's an Iron Lord blade, isn't it?" Weiss asks suddenly, and Ruby's eyes sparkle. Shade nods. "Where'd you get it?! All Iron Lord blades are buried with their bodies or lost in the Dead Zone!" Shade grins.

"If you'd had let me introduce myself." He says, a teasing grin on his face. "I was gonna say that I'm Iron Lord Cadet Shade Kurogane. Since I'm the last person alive with Iron Lord training, I'm the last Iron Lord." The four stare at him, dumbfounded. "As for where I got my blade, my mentor gave it to me if her dying moments." The Scout chuckles at the looks of shock he was getting. "Now, don't you all have an initiation to finish up?" That knocked some sense back into the four of them, and with a muttered curse, they rush back to the school, Shade laughing behind them.

 **A/N: I honestly didn't know where to end this cause I didn't want a cliffhanger.**

 **Yes, I made a lot of Destiny references in this chapter, the two biggest ones are the Speaker's quote at the end of story in D2 and the classes.**

 **Guardian is a Titan, Scout is a Hunter, and Support is a Warlock.**

 **I'd like to iterate that this isn't a Destiny Crossover. There will be a lot of references in the initial chapters because I need to build the world.**

 **I also made a vote on Pairings on my profile. You can vote for two, and any guest who wishes to have a say just comment and I'll add that in the final tally.**

 **I will not do OCx multi, I've tried and I'm terrible at it.**

 **I'm also taking ideas on a semblance for Shade. Nothing too overpowered but something that would fit him. It could be related to a Super from Destiny, but it would have to be changed dramatically, I can't exactly remember the Semblance rules at the moment however.**

 **Honestly, I don't know what I'll do with Shade in regards to teams and whatnot, I'll also take suggestions on that. I don't want to change up the current teams from canon but if I can think of something that makes it fit I could. I want to hear your ideas and suggestions.**

 **I have a basic idea on where I want this story to go, but I'm not sure how I want to carry it out, so sorry for all the questions but I'm honestly curious what you all think.**

 **Welp, this is Emerald Night signing off!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Alright! Before we begin a special thanks to Imalloutoflove for the semblance ideas, and the team placement idea. The pairing poll is still on my profile, and if there isn't a pairing on it right now that you want to throw into the vote just PM me or leave a review asking about it.**

 **So, without further ado, here's the story.**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or the Destiny elements in this story._**

A still chuckling Shade followed the four Huntresses-in-Training to the top of the cliff. Seeing Ozpin landing by the landing pads, he breaks off and makes his way to the aged headmaster. Glynda Goodwitch arrived at the same time as him, and Shade gestured for her to go first. The woman nods before addressing Ozpin.

"All students have returned safe and sound, with only a few injuries here and there." She says. Ozpin nods and notices Shade standing not that far off.

"Ah! Excellent!" Ozpin says. "Glynda, I'd like to introduce you to Iron Lord Shade Kurogane, our newest student." Shade nods to the woman, and she returns in kind. "Shade, this is Glynda Goodwitch, my deputy-headmistress."

"Glad to see that you got pulled out, although I must say you look rather young for an Iron Lord." The blonde woman says. Shade shrugs.

"Technically I'm just a cadet, but since I'm the only one alive with any sort of training and was basically done with training." He says with another shrug, "Well. Yeah. I'm an Iron Lord, just wasn't able to make it official." She nods with slight understanding. Shade shrugs before turning to Ozpin. "S what are we gonna do boss? If I read correctly students are placed in teams of four, since I'm an odd man out how's that gonna work?"

"Well, given your experience in the field by yourself I believe that it's safe to assume that you can handle yourself on your own." Ozpin chuckles, "Perhaps you're a solo, an extra member for already established teams and you're basically the backup." Shade nods.

"Makes sense." He says, "Scouts generally like to work on their own. " Ozpin nods. "Now that is out of the way, I need new gear."

"Pardon?" Glynda asks.

"I need a new firearm." The Scout says. "The auto-rifle Specialist Schnee gave me is good but not my cup of tea per-se. I'd prefer something of a bit more range and higher caliber. My mentor had a sniper rifle she called Devil's Dawn. I'm looking for something like that." Ozpin nods.

"Well, I'm sure we can let you go out and get some new weapons." The headmaster says. Shade chuckles.

"I don't have any money." He says, "I was just planning on finding one and then working to get some money to get it." Ozpin chuckles before handing the teen a card.

"Use that." He says. "It's a student trust account for students who need to order repair parts for their weapons, so don't buy anything but the rifle. We can get you ammo here." Shade nods, takes the card, and takes the airship nearby heading towards the city. "Now Glynda, shall we go assign teams?" The blonde nods before following the headmaster into the school.

 _Downtown Vale._

Shade lazily glances through the weapon shops littering the small shopping area he found himself in.

"Geez, all I've seen is mechashift weapons." The Iron Lord mutters, tugging on his new cloak, an all-black cape with the triple arrow symbol of the Scouts. He picked it up from an old Iron Lord armorsmith that owed his mentor some money. The old man was happy to consider the debt paid if Shade got a new cloak and stayed on order for any new armor Shade may need. The man happily agreed, having remembered him from the last time Luna stopped by five years ago, which was to gear up Shade the first time around. "It makes sense the Iron Forges are not around anymore because the Iron Lords are not around to run them but come on! There at least needs to be someone who sells regular firearms!" His voice grew to a frustrated growl.

"You.. Kid." An old shopkeeper says, eying him with a critical eye. "You do know what that symbol on your cape represents, right?" Shade nods.

"Iron Lord Scout, I know." He mutters.

"Then you would know that only Iron Lords could wear that cloak." The shopkeeper says. Shade sighs before pulling out his official license, due for a renewal but still able to confirm is identity.

"As you can see old man." The Iron Lord says. "I am an Iron Lord, my license needs to be renewed but once one get the original license one is officially an Iron Lord for life." The shopkeeper blinks in surprise. "Yes, the world believes the Iron Lords are dead, I know. Sorry to disappoint, but I've fought for five years just to keep them alive."

"Not even the dead are truly gone." The old man mutters. Shade nods to him. "Kid, I overheard you wanting a regular firearm, might I ask what type you want?" Shade shrugs, popping out his pistol.

"Well, the pistol is fine." The Scout says, "I just need to do some maintenance on it. I'm really looking for a nice sniper rifle." The old man grins.

"I may have just the thing, come here." He says, and Shade does so as the man ruffles around through his stall. "Ah here it is." Placed on the counter was an odd-looking rifle. It obviously was a sniper rifle, but it looked like it was spliced together from multiple different rifles. It sported an extremely long scope and a worn wooded foregrip. Attached to the foregrip was what seemed to be a spearhead. "This was made for an Iron Lord named Luna Starlight, but she found another rifle called Devil's Dawn. This one's called, But Not Forgotten." Shade blinks.

"Even the dead aren't truly gone." The Scout repeats the man's words. The old man nods. "It's fitting, because Luna was my mentor. I'm her apprentice." The man looks shocked, before an aged grin appears on his face.

"Well then, I guess it's fate that I was the one who recognized that symbol then." He says. Shade nods.

"How much?" The Iron Lord asks, taking out the credit card. The old man shakes his head.

"For you, nothing." The old man says. "The appearance alone drives people away, and it was made for an Iron Lord, I'm just giving it to the right person." Shade nods, picking up the rifle. Looking down the scope, he's surprised at how balanced the rifle is.

"Perfect balance." The Scout mutters, knowing that many Iron Lords searched far and wide for a weapon that had this quality. "Which means an extremely low recoil." Popping out the clip, he sees that it's made for armor-piercing rounds. "I'm going to assume this is hammer forged as well." The old man nods. Shade slings the rifle across his back, turning to the shopkeeper. "Thank you, sir." The man waves his hand.

"Think nothing of it." He says. "I've seen many Iron Lords in my many years, but none quite struck me like you." The man's critical eye seems to stare into Shade's soul. "I believe we can expect great things from you." Shade grins.

"Well, I hope I don't disappoint then." The Scout replies. The old man nods.

"See to it kid." He quips. Shade nods and with a parting word, leaves the area, heading back towards the airship to Beacon. The flight itself was uneventful, however, he kept getting looks from adults, and generally those old enough to remember the Iron Lords, but Shade paid them no mind as he disembarked the airship and made his way towards the main doors to the amphitheater. He entered just as the last team was called, the four girls from earlier that day teamed up as team RWBY. Ozpin notices him and motioned for the Scout to come forward. Shade does so, walking up onto the stage before standing at parade rest.

"And lastly." Ozpin says. "Shade Kurogane, you weren't originally signed up but I believe an exception could be made in your situation." The Iron Lord shrugs. "Now before you parents out there start complaining about favoritism, Mr. Kurogane is the sole surviving Iron Lord." A dull roar echoes throughout the area. "Now, before everyone starts, Mr. Kurogane was then trapped inside the Dead Zone for five years, working on getting a distress signal operating again." Shade takes a step forwards.

"Now before you start asking why I just didn't make my way to the wall, well." He starts. "I tried to, but there was a large enough army of Grimm that even Ironwood would be hesitant to send his forces to face. There was no chance of me escaping on foot, and without a working transponder, I couldn't call for a ride." The room is filled with murmurs again. "If you don't believe me that's fine, I don't care. I'm here to carry on the name of my fallen friends, brothers, and sisters, I'm not here for you." Nodding to Ozpin, the headmaster clears his throat.

"Since Shade is an odd-man-out." Ozpin says. "And since he has five years of experience in the field, it's been decided that Shade will be in a single person unit, assisting established teams as a fifth member." Shade nods. "You're dismissed." Shade turns on his heel and makes his way down towards the back of the room. Ozpin makes a few more announcements before the students make their way to their dorms. Shade stays behind, and Glynda makes her way over to him after most of the students leave.

"Your dorm room is 1-113." She says, handing him a scroll. "Since you didn't have a scroll we got you one, keep it on you at all times. It is your room key, and also your aura gauge, you'll need it for combat classes and competitions." Shade nods, a serious look on his face as he takes the device

"With all due respect, professor." The Scout says. "I'm going to be dueling or sparring." Goodwitch raises an eyebrow. "I'm not here for that. I'm going to fight. The real world has no regulated rules in combat, the fight doesn't end once your aura enters the red, if you run out of aura, you die. You of all people should know that." Glynda moves to speak. "And don't think that because I'm a student I shouldn't worry about situations like that. I lived in that situation for five years, if I'm going to spar with someone, I want them to know that I'll be going about it like it's a real fight." The blonde sighs and nods.

"Very well, but please try to adhere to the rules in class." She says. "Ozpin left a message for you on the scroll." With a raised eyebrow, the Scout opens the device and reads the message. He grins as he closes the scroll before turning and exiting the room, running straight into team RWBY, who were apparently waiting for him.

"Oh," Shade says, blinking in surprise. "Hello, how are ya doing?"

"We're doing well, thank you." Weiss Schnee says sharply. Shade raises an eyebrow, before judging the four before him briefly. The youngest and team leader was a Ruby Rose, she was short and carried an innocent aura that made one just adore the girl, but Shade knew better than to underestimate the girl. He saw the giant death-dealer that passed for a scythe, and he knew that she was much stronger than she seemed.

Next was the heiress, Weiss Schnee. She carried herself much like her sister, from the brief moments Shade spent in the elder sister's presence. The white-haired girl had a curious scar over her left eye. Shade quickly noticed her behavior towards her leader. The Schnee barely looked in Ruby's direction and seemed to ignore the young girl. The Iron Lord made a mental note about that.

Next up was Blake Belladonna. Shade could instantly tell this girl was secretive and an avid book reader. The fellow ravenette would quickly glance around her surroundings like she was looking for an enemy, and didn't exactly meet Shade's eye. He was about to move on when a slight twitch of the Belladonna's bow caught his eye. Although it was dark out, he could clearly see the twitch.

 _"She's hiding something."_ The Scout thinks, before moving onto the last member.

Last but certainly not least was Yang Xiao-Long. The girl was leaning against a nearby streetlamp with a carefree air around her, but Shade could see that the explosive blonde was watching him intensely, as if she was trying to gauge whether he was a threat or not.

"So," Shade begins, growing tired of the silent standoff. "Is this the part where I get beat up for my lunch money? Because I'd hate to say it ladies but I have no money." Yang barks out a muffled chuckle, Weiss's left eye twitches, Blake rolls her eyes with a small, amused grin, while Ruby gives a hearty giggle.

"No." Yang says, pushing off the wall. "We just wanted to confirm some things." Ruby then jumps forwards.

"I'll go first!" The red reaper exclaims, launching her hand up with childlike innocence, before blushing in embarrassment at Shade's amused grin. "Well, I'd like to thank you for saving us from that Nevermore earlier today." Shade waves it off.

"Don't think about it. I just was put off because ticking off big Grimm is usually my job." He says, a small chuckle escaping him. "Just doing my job."

"Speaking of jobs." Weiss cuts in, a small glare directed towards Ruby and him. "Are you really an Iron Lord? Because I thought they all died five years ago." Shade mutters something along the lines of, 'I'm getting tired of pulling this thing out' before he grabs his ID.

"It's out of date, but once someone gets an official Iron Lord ID they're one for life." He says, handing it over for the Schnee to inspect. Once she was satisfied it was real, the ID was handed back over.

"How did you survive?" Blake asks, "You must have been stuck in the Dead Zone for five years without aura."

"I'm good at making impossible things possible." Shade shrugs. "Roughly because as a Scout we generally are stubborn pieces of crap and don't know how to die when we don't want to. I made do." Blake nods.

"So you're basically saying that you're a good fighter?" Yang asks, a cocky smirk on her face. Shade shrugs again.

"I guess." He says. "One problem I've always seen was that people liked to hide behind their aura and semblance. The Dead Zone stops that. I can rely on my own combat skills now, so I'd say I could put up a decent fight." The blonde nods and acceptance.

"Last question." Ruby says. "I don't remember much about the Iron Lords, but I do know that the cadets are generally pulled out of combat school for individual training, so why are you here?" Shade grins, remembering the message that was on his scroll.

"Why, for your very team." He says. "I'm here to make you four Iron Lords."

 **A/N: That's a wrap! Again, I didn't really know where to end the chapters because I want to keep writing.**

 **So update on status, Shade's team placement stuff has been decided. There's a good Semblance idea in the works. As for the pairing, the poll is still up on my profile, if there is a pairing you wish to throw into the mix, just PM or review with it and I'll make sure to add it to the list.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Alrighy! So, another week or so until the poll is down. Let's go through with the results.**

 **Yang: 2 votes, (both from reviews.)**

 **Ruby: 2 votes, (both from reviews.)**

 **Blake: 2 votes, (One from review, other from poll)**

 **Velvet: 2 votes, (both from poll.)**

 **So, as you can see, it's all tied up. And remember, if you want to see another paring not listed just ask.**

 **I'm not saying anything in regards to my own personal opinion on these pairings, because with what I have right now I can make any work.**

 **And with that, onto the story.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Destiny, if I did, RWBY wouldn't be as awesome as it is now.**_

WHAAT!?" Four simultaneous shrieks fill the air. Shade was laughing as hard as he could, and Ozpin probably was as well from whatever dark corner he was in at the time.

"What do you mean you're going to train us to be Iron Lords?!" Weiss shouts, something between a glare and shock stuck on her face. Shade shrugs.

"Earlier today Ozpin showed me some footage of your combat skills." He says. "It was on a screen on Winter Schnee's ship while on my way here. Well, technically I saw all freshmen's combat data, only seven really stood out, you four's, and a Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie's. I was undecided until team placements, because the latter three are placed with someone who I'm honestly confused on why he's here. I can't train them because he'd be left behind, and I can only train four at a time. So, I went with team RWBY for that reason. I also chose it because it's a well-rounded team with two scout style fighters, a vanguard brawler, and a support style fighter." Shade looks out at the four. "I am the last Iron Lord, I know that for a fact because I saw all of them die. I've shed blood, sweat, and tears to survive in order to carry on that name for five years. Now it's time to start the next generation of Iron Lords, and I'm starting with the powerhouse freshman team of Beacon because you have the skills to become an Iron Lord, you just need to learn to not rely on your semblance and aura. I'm going to train you to be unbeatable, without your abilities. Then when a fight gets serious enough, you'll blow right through the enemy when you use your power." Shade looks over to them. "I'm going to teach you discipline outside of the battlefield, so you can excel in studies and combat, while knowing when to goof off." Here his eyes meet Ruby, who chuckled sheepishly. "I'm going to break you down regardless of social status, and completely obliterate your stereotypes on Faunus and Humans." Here his eyes meet Weiss, and partially Blake, both averted their gaze. "I'll develop you as a team so close you don't need to hide anything from each other, so you're not afraid to be yourself." Here his eyes are fully on Blake, who didn't meet his eyes. "I'll teach you control, and a proper way to deal with anger without being a danger to people around you." Here his eyes meet Yang's, who absent-mindedly brushed her hair. "You all have your quirks, and ticks. I'm going to teach you how you can rely on your team to cover those for you, understand?" All four nod. "Good, now get some sleep. Classes start at nine, see you in Port's." RWBY leaves the area, Shade not far behind as they enter their rooms and go to sleep.

The next day had Shade waking up early for a quick PT session, running through his entire workout, the Iron Lord returned to his dorm with an hour to spare. Taking a quick shower, the ravenette dresses in his school uniform, an outfit that he instantly hates. Tugging at the collar, Shade straps his pistol holster to his right thigh and hides a sheathed knife under his right sleeve. Taking his Iron Lord blade, which he needs to name, and sheathing it across his back, the Scout takes But Not Forgotten and slings it across his back as well. Making his way to the main school building, Shade quickly finds Professor Port's classroom.

Port is a rather rotund man with a rather impressive moustache. Shade nods to the man as he takes a seat.

"Ah! Our resident Iron Lord!" Port exclaims. Shade rolls his eyes, as team RWBY rush into the classroom last second. The female team takes a seat behind him. Port then launches into his lecture about the Grimm. Around halfway into the class, Shade puts down his knife on the table, unsheathed, in order to watch the team behind him through the minor reflection. He frowns when Ruby goofs off, Weiss's angry face, and Yang's general inattentiveness.

"Now, who thinks they have what it takes to be a true Huntsman?" Port's question cuts into Shade's thoughts. Weiss's hand shoots up.

"I do si-" The heiress exclaims, only to be cut off.

"Put that hand down Schnee." Shade says. Weiss stares at the back of his head in shock, while the Iron Lord glares at her through the reflection of the blade. "You're emotionally compromised, stand down and gather yourself. In turn, Professor Port, I'll volunteer in her stead." Port nods, and gestures for Shade to take the after changing into his combat gear. Shade returns in his full combat gear, minus the cloak. Port gestures to the five crates on the other side of the room.

"Since you are technically a professional huntsman, I believe that a more difficult test should be in place for you." Port says, Shade shrugs.

"Whatever you say boss." Shade says, drawing his pistol. Port laughs as he releases five Boarbatusks. Shade curses under his breath before firing off a quick round at the closest one. This draws the Grimm's attention, as well as its friends. All five Boarbatusks surround the ravenette, and then begin spinning in the air. "Son of a-!" The teen didn't finish his sentence as the five Grimm launch towards him. Shade quickly leaps into the air, twirling his pistol around his finger before he fires off a single shot. The single round rockets towards the ground, right into the unarmored underside of a Boarbatusk's head. Said Grimm's head explodes, and the body of the dead Boarbatusk collides with the remaining four as all five impact each other. Shade lands a few feet away from the dazed Grimm and holsters his pistol, drawing his sword and igniting it. The flames wrap around the blade as Shade charges forwards, leaping into the air before slamming the blade into the mass of Grimm. A massive influx of flames surrounds the Grimm before incinerating the remaining Grimm. Port clicks his tounge as he glances at Shade's remaining aura. Shade himself takes a glance as well. _"Geez! That attack took half my aura!"_ Port laughs as he claps Shade on the back.

"Bravo! It seems we are in the presence of a true Iron Lord!" The teacher exclaims. "Shade, take a seat." The Iron Lord nods. "Now, Shade, please tell us about the Boarbatusks."

"A Boarbatusk is a standard Grimm with blade resistant armor over its spine and upper body. The underside isn't protected though, so it tries to grapple its prey with their tusks." The Scout says. Port nods.

The period bell then rings. "That is all for today, class dismissed." The professor says.

"RWBY Stay behind." Shade cuts in suddenly. The four reluctantly take their seats again. Shade looks to Port, who nods and leaves, before turning back to them. "Alright, first lesson." He says, his blank expression morphing into a fierce glare. "I noticed three things wrong today. Blake, you're exempt from fault so I'll let you answer the question. What did I notice?" Blake nods, before speaking.

"Ruby wasn't paying attention, opting to doddle, and distract those around her. In turn, Yang didn't pay attention as well, and didn't set a proper example for her younger sibling. In response to the two's actions, Weiss lost control of her emotions." The female ravenette says. Shade nods.

"Yes, that is correct. Thank you, Blake." He says, the girl nods. "Now, Ruby." The reaper flinches and doesn't meet his eyes. "You're the leader, act like it. There is a time for fun and a time for you to be serious and set an example for the team. You got into Beacon two years early, and are basically the public face of the team. If you don't take things seriously in class, how can the professors trust you to take things seriously in combat?" The girl nods, still not looking at him. "Get your act together, it's not just about you anymore, you have a team to lead." The Scout then turns to Yang. "Yang, this also applies to you. You may not be the team leader but you are Ruby's older sister. She takes after you, so set a proper example for your younger sibling. If you don't pay attention in class, she'll do the same subconsciously because as a younger sister she'll look to the older sibling for a basic guideline for how to act in situations. Get your act together, learn there's a time to party and a time to study." Yang nods, and although she looks lost in thought, Shade knows his point got through. "Lastly, Weiss, I'm assuming that you're upset that you're not the leader?" The Schnee nods. "Too bad, deal with it. Your exceptional skills on the field are counteracted by your horrid attitude." Weiss's face turns red with rage but Shade doesn't give her the chance to speak. "Grow up at get over yourself. You're in the real world now kid, if you want things to be easy run back to daddy." Weiss's face is purple at this point, and Shade was returning her glare.

"You can't speak to me like that!" She exclaims.

"You'll find that I can and I will." The Iron Lord says. "I'm trying to teach you a valuable lesson Weiss. So you weren't picked for leader, but complaining about it and throwing your social status around will not change that. You have to learn that everyone has something to fix and learn about their friends and themselves. So instead of being the best leader, be the best person you can be. You'll find that making friends here will be much easier then."

"Well said." Ozpin's voice rings from the door. "Miss Schnee, I can assure you that while your skills are exemplary, Miss Rose's ability to think beyond conventional methods is why she is leader, you've been trained to follow a certain protocol when fighting, and while that is more than enough for a proctored fight, you'll realize that in an actual fight you'll need to bend a few rules in order to survive." Ozpin then turns to Ruby. "On the other hand, Miss Rose. Your skills are impressive considering your age and weapon choice, but don't let your age and early admittance be an excuse to act childish. You're a team leader now, and as such, must provide a proper example for those under your leadership." Both girls nod and process what's been told to them.

"Thanks Ozpin. RWBY, dismissed." Shade says, following the headmaster out, leaving team RWBY with much to think about.

 _ **Chapter end.**_

 **A/N: So! Here we are! Nothing really to say, vote on the poll! Bye!**

 _ **Chapter Five Preview:**_

" _Our first contestants are…" Goodwitch says, looking at her scroll. "Cardin Winchester and Shade Kurogane."_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Alrighty! When this chapter comes up the poll will be up for another day or two. Currently, we have**

 **3 for Velvet, 2 on poll, one in review.**

 **3 for Blake, 2 on poll, one in review.**

 **3 for Ruby, 2 in review, one on poll.**

 **2 for Yang, 2 in review.**

 **So yeah, three-way tie as of this moment between the top three, if the tie isn't broken I'll take the one that got to three first, which is Velvet.**

 **It's been pointed out that the chapters seemed a bit rushed, sorry about that. I believe many of you can agree that the first season was kinda monotone in plot development since Monty was building the world as much as he was. It's for that reason that I believe the World Of Remnant episodes were added in season 2. In fact, I may do something like that soon just to get worldbuilding out of the way, but I'll think about it.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Destiny.**_

That night Team RWBY retreated to their dorm, well. The four girls were on their beds, and each had taken what Shade had said to heart. Ruby had drawn her curtains shut, but the faint scratching of a pencil to paper showed that she was doing her homework. Yang was doing the same, her textbook on her lap as she dangled her legs over the side of the bed. Weiss took what the resident Iron Lord said much harder, because she realized how immature she was being and currently berating herself. Occasionally, Ruby would call down to her partner for help and the Schnee wouldn't hesitate to assist, vowing to herself to become a better person. Blake was reading, but a slight vibration of her scroll caught her attention.

 _Kurogane: Belladonna, you're by far the most collected and hardest to read of team RWBY, but everyone can tell that you have secrets. I too, had secrets, and they nearly tore my fireteam apart. I'm advising you, not as an instructor, but as someone with a shared experience, if it's a huge secret that can define how view you, that you should share it with your team. Trust is give and take, so in order to be trusted you must show that you trust your team, even with your secrets. Goodnight, and just think about it._

Blake stared for a long time at that message, she knew what he was talking about, but didn't know what to do about it.

"Something the matter Blake?" Weiss says, looking at her teammate with concern. Blake shakes her head, closing her scroll.

"Not really." The female ravenette says. "Shade just gave me something to think about." Weiss nods in acceptance. "Goodnight Weiss."

"Night Blake." The pale girl returns, before shutting off the lights. "Ruby, you should get some sleep."

"I'll be fine." The reaper says, flipping the page of her textbook. "I need to get this done." Weiss sighs, before walking up to the leader and gently closing the textbook. "Weiss! I need to do better!"

"Ruby, you need sleep." The Schnee says, her eye twitching slightly.

"I've heard what the others say! I need to do better! I need to prove that I belong here!" Ruby says, trying to open the textbook again.

"You don't need to prove anything." The pale girl says, her expression softening. "Not to them, not to yourself. Ruby, you've earned your spot here, and I know I've been difficult but I know for a fact that if anyone deserves to be here it's you. Ozpin knows it, Goodwitch knows it, and most importantly, your team knows it." Ruby looks to the rest of the team, and the other two nod, Yang with a large grin and Blake with a small smile. "However, you need some sleep. I'll help you finish the homework in the morning." Ruby nods. "Good night everyone."

"Night!" Yang says, before rolling up into her blanket as team RWBY hunkers down for the night.

 _Meanwhile,_

Shade was looking through some files on his scroll when a message from Ozpin appears.

 _Ozpin: Mister Kurogane, I've received some information regarding the Iron Lords when we updated the roster showing you alive. The Information inside concerns you, so I'm forwarding it to your scroll. I think you'll want to see what is sent._

Shade raises an eyebrow before opening the attachment to the message. A video file loads up, and a purple-haired woman appears on the screen.

" _Testing 1-2 1-2."_ She says. _"This is Luna Starlight of the Iron Lords, if you're receiving this Ozpin, well, I'm guessing that I'm dead, and there's only one Iron Lord registered alive now."_ Shade stares at his mentor in shock, before steeling himself. _"The Iron Lords are dead, and now it's time for a new generation. Celestia and Kuroka agree with me that a newer generation needs to be created. For far too long the Iron Lords have been a rather select group only working with each other. In hopes for starting a new generation, Celestia, Kuroka, and I have taken on apprentices, for the first time. Mine is a bright kid named Shade, and honestly the kid is pretty amazing in combat. The way he uses a glaive is truly astonishing, and his skill with a rifle isn't bad either. Celestia chose his childhood friend Vivian Aquarius, an intelligent girl who can read a situation so well that it's honestly scary. Kuroka chose the two's friend Shiro Frost, a bull Faunus whose skill with a bladed shield is unrivaled. These three are the start of a new generation of Iron Lords, should they survive._ " Luna takes a breath, fiddling with her pistol. _"Ozpin, if you're receiving this message then the sole survivor is a scout, and I'm hoping it's Shade. If it is_ , _then send this to him. If it isn't, send it to Ironwood."_ The screen then cuts, before Luna appears again, much closer to the camera, her blue eyes shining in the light. _"Shade, well. I'm glad you survived. I'm sorry I won't be there for when you become a true Iron Lord."_ In a rare display of emotion, Luna gives a watery smile. _"You often asked why I chose you, when Shiro and Vivian were so exceptional in all areas while you could barely pass the written exams in school. Well, I looked right over you when I was looking through candidates at your school because of that reason. What changed my mind was when I met you. We literally ran into each other when I was on my way to my hotel. I saw a scrawny kid at first, but then I saw something amazing, you apologized to me before running off and helping an old Faunus woman cross the road. You then turned right around and threw a rock at some teens spouting racist slurs at the woman. I originally thought that you were just a kid who liked to pick fights when the teens all rushed you, but something told me to stay and watch. What I thought was a scrawny kid who liked to pick fights turned out to be a highly tactical fighter who wiped the floor with a group of eighteen year old teens. A feat few twelve year olds could do. A few days later we were off to training."_ Luna paused to wipe some tears from her eyes, Shade does the same. _"Shade, I saw myself in you. Someone who went the extra mile and turned right back around to knock some sense into people. Over the course of the year I learned more about you. You had the entire world out to get you, yet you still succeeded."_ A faint voice offscreen catches Luna's attention. _"Well, I'm pressed for time now. I just want to say….. I'm glad I met ya kid. You were like the little brother I never had. See ya on the flipside."_ The screen blinks to black. Shade stares at it for a while, trying to control his emotions. A notification pops up, another message from Ozpin. Inside was a simple picture of Shade and Luna. The elder Scout was resting her arms on Shade's head, arms crossed. The apprentice had a bright grin on his face while Luna was in mid laugh.

"Thanks for bringing her back Oz." Shade says, making a mental note to get that picture framed. The Iron Lord shuts off the lights, turning in for a good night's rest.

The following week was fairly dull. Port's classes were about common Grimm, tactics against those Grimm, and various tales from his youth. Oobleck was, well, Oobleck. Goodwitch was going through tournament rules and combat theory.

It was during this time period when Shade met the bane of his existence, as Yang liked to say, Cardin Winchester. The boy was a grade A bully, especially towards Jaune. He had heard that Cardin also seemed to like to pick on Faunus as well, but Shade hadn't been eating in the cafeteria.

Now, Shade was currently in Goodwitch's combat class, and the professor had dropped a proverbial bomb.

"Today we will hold spars." She says, and the class erupts into conversation. "The pairs will be chosen through the system." Looking to her scroll, two faces show up on the screen behind her. "Our first contestants are….Cardin Winchester and Shade Kurogane." Winchester smirks over at Shade.

"I'll destroy you scrawny." Cardin says smugly. Shade rolls his eyes as he makes his way to the stage. Winchester rests his mace across his shoulders while Shade draws his knife and pistol, having been forbidden to use his Iron Lord blade.

"Contestants ready?" Goodwitch asks, both nod. "Begin!" Winchester charges forwards, his mace raised above his head ready to smash downwards. Shade snorts.

"Typical." The Iron Lord mutters, quickly rolling to the right and kicking low, taking out the bully's legs. Cardin crashes face-first into the ground while Shade axe-kicks the back of his head. While that move didn't take out much in regards to Winchester's decent amount of aura, Shade had established the psychological advantage of landing the first hit. Spinning around his shoulders, the Scout pushes himself onto his feet, just as Cardin swings his mace towards his gut. Not being able to block in time, Shade forces his aura into his side just as the mace hits, launching the Iron Lord towards the edge of the stage. Landing with his knife stabbed into the ground for extra balance, Shade winces when he glances up at his aura meter. _"One-third gone, I'm getting sloppy."_ The Iron Lord had underestimated his opponent, one of the first things Luna had taught him not to do. Shade stands, his face morphing to a level glare. Blue lightning whips around Shade, quickly catching Lie Ren and Nora Valkryie's eyes. "I underestimated you Winchester, allow me to rectify that mistake." The Iron Lord holsters his pistol as the lightning wraps around his knife. The class stares in awe at the power the ravenette was showing, but Goodwitch notices a steady drain on his aura. The professor narrows her eyes as Shade runs toward this opponent, sliding under a swing from the mace while slashing the Winchester across the chest with his lightning blade. Following through with the strike, Shade spins, nailing the mace-user in the back and launching him out of bounds.

"Stop!" Goodwitch says, as the lightning disappears. "Cardin Winchester is out of bounds, therefore Shade Kurogane is the winner. This was an example of an arena-style duel, and even if Cardin had stayed inside the boundries, both would have been eliminated for their low aura. The class glances up to find both Cardin and Shade's aura in the red. Glynda clicks her tongue in annoyance as the class bell rings, she'll have to talk to Ozpin about getting a longer class. "Class dismissed." The blonde's green eyes follow Shade as he leaves the room. "A semblance that trades aura for raw power, interesting." Sure, a semblance is theoretically 'fueled' off of one's aura, but a semblance doesn't drain aura that fast. "This will have to warrant further observations."

 _A few minutes later._

Teams RWBY and JNPR had found their table on the cafeteria and were talking about the battle earlier today.

"That was so cool!" Ruby gushed, much to the amusement of those around her. "I've never seen a semblance like that! What do you think it was?"

"I didn't use any electricity or lightning dust from the air I can say that." Nora says, much to the confusion to her friends besides Ren. The girl shrugs. "It's similar to mine, but isn't the same based off that."

"We all saw his aura before he used it and after." Weiss says. Blake nods.

"Yeah, Cardin didn't hit him, his semblance drained his aura." The female ravenette says.

"And turned it into raw power." Ren finishes, and the rest of the table's eyes widen.

"That's a big drawback, right?" Jaune askes. Pyrrha nods, glad to see Jaune learning about the semblances even though he hasn't found one. "For such an offensive power, I guess it's logical that it has to drain equal amounts of the defensive power as a trade."

"When did you get so smart Jaune?" Yang teases, and the boy blushes.

"He's probably always been that smart, you were just gauging him based off his combat abilities." Shades voice says from behind the group. The Iron Lord takes a seat next to the blonde brawler. "Jaune may not look like it, but he has been accepted here, even if his combat abilities seem to argue against it, Jaune makes up for it in quick thinking and tactical planning. I have a feeling that with some proper training he'll be a force to be reckoned with." Ruby nods, a bright grin on her face while Juane blushes, but instead from embarrassment like his friends believe, his face flushed from shame, the blonde smiles, but his redhead partner notices it doesn't reach his eyes.

"I hope so." The blond says. Shade nods while Jaune gives a true grin. "Hey, maybe then I could give Cardin the beatdown you gave him." The table laughs.

"OW! That hurts!" An accented female voice shouts. The group's eyes turn to where the resident bully was tugging quiet harshly on a rabbit Faunus's ears.

"See? I told you they were real." Cardin says, laughing along with the rest of his team. "What a freak."

"Despicable." Blake says, glaring at the Winchester.

"Atrocious." Weiss and Pyrrha say. The scraping of Shade's chair fills the now silent room as eyes turn towards him.

"If you don't like bullying, it's up to you to stop it." He says, making his way to Cardin. The rest for CRDL besides the leader back up slowly from the approaching Iron Lord. Cardin, however, was too focused on terrorizing the Faunus to notices the hand grip the wrist tugging on the rabbit ear until it was too late. Cardin found his wrist in a tight grip. "Hey Winchester, I didn't just see you picking on this nice lady, did I?" Cardin made an attempt to talk back, but one look at Shade made him wisely shut up. "Good, now get out of my sight." CRDL scrambles to get out of the room. Shade turns to the Faunus. "You all right?" The girl nods. "Good, if he bugs you again just find me." He then looks around. "Where is the rest of your team?"

"They're still getting food." She says. Shade nods.

"Well why don't you come sit with us?" He says, gesturing to his table. "I'm sure you and your team will be welcome." The girl thinks for a second, before grabbing her tray and following him. "I'm Shade, Shade Kurogane."

"Velvet Scarlantina." The girl says. Shade nods as he takes his seat next to Yang. Velvet sitting across from him next to Ren.

"Everyone, this is Velvet Scarlantina." Shade says to the table. A chorus of greetings follows, and the table soon gets back to their usual shenanigans, Velvet fitting right in. Weiss suddenly stops eating and looks to the resident Iron Lord.

"Shade, why did you eat lunch in here? This is the first time I've ever seen you in the cafeteria." The heiress asks. Shade shrugs.

"I wanted a change of pace." He replies, popping a carrot in his mouth. Weiss nods and continues eating while Yang and Nora try to throw food into each other's mouths. Velvet looks on in amusement, when the rest of the girl's team shows up.

"Hey Velvet." A girl that seems to scream fashionista says, flicking her sunglasses down slightly to stare at her teammate. "Took you this long to decide to ditch us?" Velvet grins.

"Well yeah, honestly wish I found these guys earlier." The Faunus snarks back, the other grin smirks and takes a seat next to Velvet. A dark-skinned male with white eyes takes a seat next to Shade while an extremely tall male fills up the rest of the table. "Everyone, this is my team, CFVY (Coffee.)"

"I bet you're always on a caffeine rush then." Shade snarks, and Yang gives him a nice bruise on his shoulder for stealing something she was going to say. "I'm Shade Kurogane."

"Coco Adel, leader of CFVY. The one next to you is Fox Alistair and the one on the end is Yatsuhashi Daichi." The fashionista says. Shade nods.

"I'm Ruby, leader of team RWBY!" Ruby chirps happily from her seat. Coco gives a light chuckle." The rest of my team is Weiss Schnee,"

"How do you do?" The heiress asks.

"Blake Belladonna." Ruby says while Blake nods. "And my sister, Yang Xiao-long!" Jaune steps up next.

"I'm Jaune Arc, leader of team JNPR." The blond says. "My team is Pyrrha Nikos."

"Hello again!" The redhead says.

"Nora Valkryie." The leader continues, while Nora crackles with minor insanity. "And Lie Ren." The last member nods. CFVY nods before Velvet thinks for a second.

"Shade, where's your team?" The Faunus asks. Shade shrugs.

"I don't have one. I'm here because of... a special circumstance." He says. CFVY looks confused. "Does any of you recognize this triple arrow insignia?" Pointing to the symbol on his shoulder, Coco identifies it instantly.

"The symbol of the Scouts, one of the three types of Iron Lords. _"_ Yatsuhasi says. Shade nods.

"Now, all the Iron Lords went into the Dead Zone. All died, except me. I have my license, just need to get it renewed." The ravenette says, grinning at Coco. "Now, I gotta go, one last step before I can renew my license."

"What's that?" Weiss asks.

"I gotta find an Iron Forge and make my own blade." The Iron Lord says, "That's the last test. It's time for me to become a real Iron Lord."

 **A/N that's a wrap! This is the longest chapter I've ever written, ever.**

 **So to clear up confusion, Shade never made it past Apprentice before the Iron lords fell. He wasn't able to take the last test.**

 **The steps to becoming an Iron Lord are as follows:**

 **Be selected by an active duty Iron Lord and be approved by that Iron Lord's Vanguard (Kuroko, Celestia, and Luna.)**

 **Technical training. This is where the apprentices learn basic theory.**

 **Practical training: This is where the apprentices master their choice of weapon, and put the theory to practice.**

 **Fireteam training. This is where the apprentices are placed into fireteams to develop teamwork. Like how Shade, Vivian, and Shiro were together. Apprentice fireteams are generally based off of the mentors being from the same fireteam.**

 **Combat role training: Generally occurs at the same time as step 4, the Scout mentor will teach their apprentice the things a Scout does and etc.**

 **Individual combat test (Your decently hard Destiny campaign mission): The apprentice will be tasked to do a difficult solo mission to prove their worth.**

 **Fireteam combat test (your Nightfall Strike without all the weird stuff, just the really hard enemies.): The apprentice will work with their fireteam to prove their teamwork.**

 **Mentor/Apprentice fireteam test (your raid.): Generally the hardest test, the apprentices learn to take orders from higher command, their mentors, while showing situational awareness to complete a seemingly impossible task.**

 **The forging of the Iron Blade: After completing the Mentor/Apprentice fireteam, the apprentices will either have to retake all the tests or be allowed to move on. They then enter an Iron Forge, where they have to forge their own Iron Lord weapon themselves. Forging their own weapon is more of a rite of passage, but proves that they are worthy of being an Iron Lord.**

 **So there we go! Sorry for that huge chunk, but I wanted to explain the steps to becoming an Iron Lord because Shade will have to bypass a few steps because of an absence of Iron Lords.**

 **I'm signing off now, so as always, see y'all soon. The poll will be taken down on Thursday, and in correlation to that I'll stop counting reviews suggesting a Pairing as well.**

 **Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright! So, another three-way tie.**

 **Velvet has 4 votes, three from poll, one from review. (Sorry ImAllOutOfLove, since you voted for Velvet after chapter 4 as well you count as one vote.)**

 **Blake has 4 votes, three from poll and one from a review.**

 **Ruby also has 4 votes, two from the poll and two from reviews.**

 **Yang has three votes, one from the poll and two from reviews.**

 **So yeah, this poll has surprisingly been majorly a tie throughout the top three. Here's what I'll do, process of elimination. Yang is out of the poll. I'm leaving the poll up one more day to get some votes in and then, if the tie isn't broken, I'll go with the one who got to 4 first, Velvet. I'm not playing favorites, but I hope you can see that I can't really do much with a three-way tie in regards to a pairing. Either that or I remove Ruby from the Poll next, with her being the last one to reach 4 votes.**

 **And with that, onto the story.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Destiny. RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth and Destiny belongs to Bungie and Activision.**_

Shade had spent the rest of the day sitting in the library, designing his Iron Blade. Don't get him wrong, he loved Hunter's Moon, Luna's sword that she had given him before the final battle. It was one of the few things that he had of his Mentor and surrogate older sister. The ravenette was sitting at a table a few seats away from RWBY and JNPR. CFVY had afternoon classes but Coco had said that her team would join them afterwards. Shade was so immersed in his work he didn't notice Ozpin approach him until the Headmaster cleared his voice.

"Oh! Hey boss, what's up?" The Iron Lord says, glancing up before returning to his work. Ozpin smiles.

"I got that picture printed and framed for you, both of them actually." The aged man says, handing over two pictures, the first was the picture of his fireteam Shade had carried throughout his stay in the Dead Zone, the second was the one of Luna and him. The Scout gives a sad smile as he thanks Ozpin. The Headmaster gives a kind grin in return before patting Shade's shoulder and walking to his office. Shade stares at the two pictures for a few moments, before nodding and returning to work. All of JNPR and RWBY were curious as to why their normally strong-willed and cheerful friend had such a sad expression in response to the pictures, but Yang was the first one to walk over and take a look at them. One look over the Scout's shoulder, and a few moments of staring at the pictures, lead the brawler back to her team, an uncharacteristic face of mournful acceptance on her features. This process continued with the rest of RWBY. Then JNPR started, Ren leading off. The boy places a hand on his friend's shoulder before the rest of JNPR takes a look. Shade sighs after a few minutes of silence between the teams, before grabbing his stuff and moving closer to them.

"I bet you're curious." The Iron Lord says. "I don't blame you. Fine, I'll tell you."

"Shade, you don't have too." Weiss says, but Shade shakes his head.

"It would be better for all of us for me to just get it out of the way." He returns. Grabbing the picture of his fireteam first, Shade turns it for all of them to see. "This is a picture of my fireteam. I'm in the middle, on my right is my childhood friend Vivian Aquarius and on my left is my longtime friend Shiro Frost." Staring at the picture once he turns it back around, the teen smiles ruefully. "They were my best friends. Vivian was a lot like you Weiss, minus the whole rich family thing. She carried herself with pride and intelligence. It was no wonder her Mentor was the leader of the Supporters. Shiro was a lot like Yang or Pyrrha actually. Stubborn, but virtually unstoppable. His mentor with the leader of the Guardians." Showing the picture of Luna and him, Shade grins slightly. "This was my Mentor, Luna Starlight, the leader of the Scouts." The Iron Lord's voice cracks briefly. "I never really had a family, they were killed when I was really young, so I lived in an orphanage most my life until I was placed in foster care under Vivian's parents. Luna was... She was basically the greatest older sister figure I'll ever meet. Her older sister was Vivian's mentor while the Shiro's Mentor was a childhood friend of theirs. We were all one dysfunctional but awesome family." A lone tear falls from Shades left eye. "I wasn't strong enough to protect them when I needed to. Now, as the sole survivor, I must do one thing."

"What's that?" Ruby asks, a sad look on her face.

"End the last generation of Iron Lords, and train a new generation. New morals, new way of operating." Shade says. "Luna saw that the Iron Lords needed to change, and I hope to make her dream a reality through you all." Shade grins slightly, before he checks his watch. "I have to go now. See you all later." The Scout leaves the area, leaving his friends with much to think about.

The next day had Shade making his way in Downtown Vale. He was stuck in thought.

"Jaune was weird today." He mutters to himself. Earlier that day Shade had watched the Arc make his way to breakfast, but instead of sitting with his team, Jaune was pulled to sit with team CRDL. Pyrrha wouldn't even look at her leader. Shade had asked about it, but Pyrrha said she'd talk about it later.

"Hey! If it isn't our resident Iron Lord!" A familiar voice says. Shade turns with a grin, facing the old shopkeeper that had given him his rifle.

"How have you been?" The Scout asks. The old man laughs.

"Well! Business is going great, but I'm surprised I'm not seeing you on the news, being paraded around as the last Iron Lord." The man says. Shade laughs.

"I've been keeping a low profile. The Media doesn't have access to the active Hunter database, which I'm grateful for." The Iron lord says. The old man laughs.

"Smart! Them reporters are nasty buggers. Wouldn't shut up when the Lords fell." The Shopkeeper says. Shade chuckles. "So, what brings you around here?"

"The Iron Forge actually." Shade replies. "I've been using my Mentor's Iron Blade, but I've decided to finally make my own." The man's eyes glint with a knowing light.

"Well, I wish you luck then!" The Shopkeeper says. "As far as I know, the Forge hasn't been changed." Shade smiles, thanking the man as he enters the forge, using the key Ozpin had given him. The teen coughs at how much dust was in the forge. Finding the lights, Shade flicks them on to reveal a rather plain looking forge.

"Time to get to work." He says, lighting the fires for the first time in over five years. The forge bursts to life, what looked like a plain smithy begins to glow with light as the workstations that haven't been used in half a decade flicker with life and power. The walls turn over, revealing tools and materials. Shade pulls out the schematics for his Iron Blade, placing it into what looks like a scanner. The area where the mold goes morphs and forms the mold of his weapon of choice. The Iron Lord then gets to work, and the building is filled with the sound of metalwork.

Shade had left the forge around four hours later, a large object wrapped up and strung arcross his back. He waves to the old ShopKeeper as he passes, quickly pulling out some Lien to give the old man a generous tip. Arriving back at Beacon, Shade makes his way to where Ozpin would be. Pressing the button next to the elevator that sends a page to the aged Headmaster, the elevator doors open and the Iron Lord enters.

"Mr. Kurogane, I trust your excursion went well?" Ozpin asks. Shade nods, removing the package from his back. "Might you show us your new weapon?" It was then that Shade noticed the video call with General Ironwood.

"General, pleasure to see you again." The Scout says.

"Likewise, Vanguard." The General replies. Since Shade was the remaining Iron Lord, he was named a Vanguard, against the teen's protests.

"Alright." Shade starts. "My weapon of choice isn't a sword, as you probably know from Luna's message. The Iron Blade I have been using is Luna's, she gave it to me before we went into the Dead Zone because the Vanguard opted to use rocket launchers in the final battle." The Scout's hands begin unwrapping the Iron Blade, to reveal a black-as-night glaive with a slightly curved grip and a longer than normal head. A normal glaive-head is usually around a foot long, but Shade's was three feet long, and curved almost like a scythe-head. Two dust chambers were back to back just behind were the head connected with the shaft.

"Impressive." Ozpin says. Shade nods.

"An Iron Blade is difficult to make because it contains microscopic tunnels throughout it to allow the dust to flow through it. Not large enough to compromise durability but not small enough to hinder dust movement. I forged this as one piece to further enhance its strength." The teen says. "It would be comparable to a 'naked blade', a blade without a grip." Ironwood and Ozpin grin. "I'm reporting to my senior officers, I have completed the last step. Prepare a new license for me please."

"Right away." Ironwood says. "You do realize that once your license is official that you'll be hounded by the press, right?"

"Vale statute article 17, subsection 8, clause C." Shade says monotonously. "The media cannot enter Huntsmen school grounds without express permission from the headmaster." Ironwood nods.

"Good memory, you're dismissed." Ozpin says. Shade nods, and exits, heading towards the cafeteria where he knows RWBY and JNPR will be. Taking a seat with his friend just as CFVY arrives, Shade instantly turns to Pyrrha.

"So, what's going on with Jaune?" The Iron Lord asks. The table freezes, looking at Pyrrha.

"I confronted Jaune about the possibility of me training him last night." The redhead says after a moment. "He was going on about how he shouldn't be here but I didn't understand until he told me that he got ahold of fake transcripts." Gasps of shock fill the table. "He said that being a huntsman was his dream, but he didn't want help."

"You were on the roof, right?" Shade asks, and Pyrrha's nod he continues. "Cardin's room is right under the roof, he probably overheard and now has blackmail."

"It shouldn't matter." Weiss says, "We should tell Goodwitch."

"We shouldn't." The Iron Lord says, much to the group's shock. "I'm almost certain Ozpin can see past a fake transcript, Jaune's here because Ozpin allows it. I believe, like me, Ozpin can see Jaune's potential. So we do nothing without learning the full situation. We cannot judge Jaune based off of a fraction of what we should know. Otherwise, we won't be any better than the White Fang or the Anti-Faunus movement. So right now, we do nothing, Jaune will tell us in his own time, and this will also be a test of character for him. Cardin's still mad at Pyrrha and Blake for making him look like a fool in Oobleck's class, watch your back you two. I don't believe Jaune will attack you, even with Cardin lording something over him, but still, stay on guard." The table nods, Weiss doing so reluctantly.

"On a lighter note." Ruby says, her eyes sparkling. "It that a new weapon?!" The girl was pointing to Shade's glaive. The Scout nods.

"Yeah, I just made it today." He says. Ruby's eyes shine.

"Does it have a name?" The reaper asks. Shade shakes his head.

"No. Haven't really thought of one yet." He mutters, thinking. "Luna's sword was named Young Wolf's Howl, I think I'll name it... Forgotten Night." Shade nods. "Yeah, that's the name."

"Why that?" Yang asks, curious.

"All my main weapons' names have a meaning. My rifle's name is But Not Forgotten, meaning the dead aren't truly gone. Luna's sword is called Young Wolf's Howl, meaning that the sword marks a new generation. Forgotten Night means," Shade pauses for a second, "It means to never forget about the good times of your life. Forgotten Night: Always remember the good times." Everyone nods and return to eating their dinner in silence, Shade eyeing team CRDL and Jaune.

The following week hadn't improved with Jaune's situation. The boy would leave right after class and wouldn't return to his dorm until after the rest of his team is asleep. Ruby had said that she had talked to him Friday night. The current day was Saturday, and most of the students had a quick assignment in the Forest of Forever Fall to gather sap for Professor Peach. Shade wasn't required to go, but went anyway to help Professor Goodwitch look after and protect the students.

"Come now students." The blonde professor says, "Yes, the Forever Fall Forest is indeed quite beautiful, but it is also home to some Grimm. Professor Peach has asked that each of you collect two jars of sap, so stay with your teams and stay vigilant." The mass of students breaks off into their teams, except Jaune, who Cardin was forcing to carry all the gear the team of bullies needed.

"Come on Jauney-boy, let's go." The Winchester says, Jaune stares at Pyrrha, before sighing and following his tormentor. Pyrrha sighs as well, before moving off with Nora and Ren. Shade instantly took to the trees, his training as a Scout allowing him to quickly track the group of Four Teams. CFVY went off towards the north, not far enough away to be considered isolated, but far enough to have some privacy. RWBY and the three from JNPR went slightly west from the second-year team while CRDL completely isolated themselves from the rest of the team. Shade quickly notices that CRDL wasn't doing everything while Jaune was collecting six jars of sap.

 _"What could they need that extra jar for?"_ The Iron Lord mutters. Before noticing a box with a W on it poking out of Cardin's bag. Shade shrugs as he leaves, making sure to keep a keen ear for trouble as he moved through the treetops. Dropping down next to Glynda, the Iron Lord removes his glaive from his back and leans it against a tree.

"How are they doing?" The Professor asks.

"Alright, CRDL is bullying Jaune into doing all the work for them, but I can presume that you caught Jaune's little thing about his transcripts?" Shade asks, and at Glynda's slight scowl he presumed correctly.

"Yes, Ozpin talked to me about that shortly after the initiation." She says. "For the life of me I cannot see why Mr. Arc is still around." Shade shrugs.

"He has potential, Jaune just needs to get the idea of being a hero out of his head and start thinking like a huntsman." The Scout says, before a roar echoes throughout the forest. Goodwitch and Shade both bolt into action, dashing towards the source, where team CRDL, minus the leader, sprints frantically past them. Nora, Ren, Blake, and Yang follow quickly behind them, stopping before the two.

"Apparently a rather large Ursa showed up, it's trapped Cardin and Jaune." Ren says. "Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss went to assist." Shade nods, and after getting a look from Goodwitch, charges forwards with his glaive drawn. He nearly bowls over Pyrrha though, as the redhead and the two members of RWBY watch the battle Jaune was waging against a large Ursa. Shade had to give the Arc some props, the kid had moves and some guts. Shade moves to assist when Pyrrha stops him, watching as Jaune takes a quick look at his Aura meter behind his shield.

"Wait!" Pyrrha says, Shade frowns but nods in consent. Jaune steps right in just as the Ursa lunges at him. The right paw moving directly to the Arc's face. Pyrrha raises her hand, and Jaune's shield is suddenly surrounded in a black glow and moves up to intercept the paw, blocking the strike as Jaune takes another step into the Ursa's guard. With a shout, Jaune's sword flashes forwards, decapitating the Grimm with ease. Shade whistles as Jaune turns to the downed Cardin.

"What was that?" Weiss asks.

"Well Ruby has her speed," Pyrrha says, a smile on her face. "and Weiss has her glyphs. My semblance is polarity."

"Oh! You can control poles!" Ruby says. Weiss facepalms.

"No you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!" The Schnee says.

"Magnets are cool too." Ruby mutters as Shade checks the area. The group stays in Forever Fall for another half-hour before pulling out. Jaune joining his team. JNPR didn't get any sap, since Nora consumed it all, but overall it was a good trip, though Shade wanted to use Forgotten Night on a Grimm, but there will be other chances.

Later that night Shade passed by the stairwell leading to the roof, grinning at the sound of minor combat and Pyrrha's voice instructing Jaune on how to correct his form.

"That kid's gonna go a long way if she sticks with him." The Iron Lord mutters, closing the door to his room and turning in for the night.

 **Alright: Chapter six is out. Nothing really to say, except I'll eventually get a drawing of Forgotten Night out.**

 **Please don't rage against me saying that glaives aren't in Destiny, I know that. The man crossover elements will be done soon.**

 **To those that don't know, a glaive is like a cross between a spear and a halberd. It has an elongated head with a side that's sharp, almost like Crescent Rose with the blade shifts up.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright! So Poll is down now, and while it was close, one pulled ahead of the other. Results are in.**

 **Blake won with eight votes total. Four from reviews and four from the poll.**

 **Velvet came in close second with six votes, five from the poll and one from review.**

 **Ruby tied for second, four from poll and two from reviews making a total of six votes.**

 **Poor Yang. Only three votes total, two from reviews and one from poll.**

 **So that's that. The story is Shade x Blake. Thanks to all those that voted.**

 **So with that, onto the story.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Destiny. If I did, RWBY would still be stuck in Vol. 2 and Destiny wouldn't have a second game because I'm lazy and bad at everything.**_

Shade awoke that Sunday with a knock on his door. Groggily standing up, the Iron Lord doesn't bother pulling on a shirt as he opens the door. He blinks in surprise when he sees Blake standing there.

 _"Stay on his eyes, stay on his eyes."_ Blake mentally says to herself, fighting the urge to look over him with her ironclad will.

"What can I do for you, Blake?" Shade asks, opening the door and inviting her inside. Pulling on a discarded hoodie, the Scout lazily pulls it over his head while he stretches, his actions almost mimicking a lazy cat, causing Blake to snicker internally.

"I thought about your message a fewest weeks ago." She says, taking a seat at the desk while Shade plops down into a sitting position on the floor.

"And?" Shade prompts.

"You need to decorate." The female ravenette says suddenly, trying to find something to take her mind off of the coming events. Shade raises an eyebrow.

"I just need the bare necessities." The Scout says. "The only decorations I need is the gun rack and my pictures." Shade grins somewhat at her. "Stop stalling, better to rip off the band-aid fast, ya? So, what do you need?" Blake sighs.

"Just, give me some time to explain before you freak out, okay?" She asks, and Shade nods. The girl shakily reaches up to undo her bow, revealing to the world her black-as night Faunus cat ears. Shade raises an eyebrow, but his grin stays in place. "I didn't- no that's not right. I did want to hide. I wanted to fit in, make friends who see me for who I am, not what I am. I didn't mean to hide this long, but with Weiss and her prejudices against Faunus it didn't really happen."

"Three things." Shade says after a moment. "One, I sorta expected something like this." At Blake's raised eyebrow he continues. "Your bow twitches every now and then, a Faunus's ears aren't meant to be covered up. Two, you shouldn't have to cover them up even if you were scared, they're a part of you and, frankly, are quite cute." Blake blushes slightly at his words, and Shade grins teasingly at her.

"Always the honest one, eh?" Blake chuckles, with sounds more like a huff. Shade shrugs. "And three?"

"Weiss isn't prejudiced against all Faunus, just the White Fang." Shade says sternly. Blake moves to defend her old group but Shade cuts her off. "Just by your actions I can assume you used to be a member?" At her nod he continues. "Wait... Belladonna, your dad used to be the old leader of the Fang, didn't he?" Blake nods again. "Wow, I should have saw that but meh. The White Fang used to be a respectable group, a nonviolent organization. And they were getting progress, albeit however small that progress might have been. Nowadays, however, they're no better than a terrorist cell." Blake gets angry at that.

"What do you mean?!" She says, her voice almost rising to a shout.

"Blake." The room suddenly chills at the sound of his voice. "I know you want to believe in the best for them, but they kill people, ransack shops, terrorize Faunus into joining, pay people to continue to hate and fear, and that only makes the Fang stronger because of it. Violence is never the answer, it's the last resort, and the White Fang were never close to needing it. Weiss has reason to not trust Faunus. Yes, her father's a rat bastard who deserves to be put in an early grave, but Weiss actively tried to get away from him. It's nature verses nurture with her. Part of it is how she was raised, and part of it was just the family she was born into. Since Weiss was young she's seen family members, friends, and board members executed just for working in the SDC, most of them innocent people with no prejudices against Faunus." Blake's ears droop. "You need to be completely honest. Why did you leave the Fang?"

"I didn't want to kill people." She says. "I didn't kill people, and I only stole enough to survive." Shade nods. "I didn't like that they were killing people, and I didn't like that the others liked the killing, harming innocent and just inducing fear on people."

"Then explain that to Wiess." Shade says. "Explain to her that you joined the Fang when it was still a nonviolent organization. Then learn her side of it, make her learn your side, and then come to terms together. It's called communication Blake. You got to make sure that she hears you, even if you have to interrupt her." Blake nods. "If things get too heated stick with it. Don't run away, because that will only support her views." Shade stands, moving to his door. "Now, I gotta go get ready for the day. I'll see you later." Blake nods as she exits the room. Shade prepares for the day before he joins his friends for breakfast.

"So." Ruby starts, swallowing a cookie. "What's the plan today?"

"I hear that the students from Haven Academy are arriving today by ship. I think we should greet them when they arrive." Weiss says.

"Basically, she's saying that she wants to spy on them." Yang says, a smirk on her face. Weiss huffs while Shade chuckles.

"So that's what RWBY is doing then, how about JNPR?" The Scout asks.

"We were thinking about getting some supplies and training." Jaune answers for his team. "What's CVFY planning Coco?"

"We're planning on training a bit, it'll be a lazy day for us." The fashionista says, taking a sip of her coffee. "What about you Shade?"

"I'm not really sure." The Iron Lord shrugs. "I might take a trip to the Dead Wall. I don't really know why, just have a feeling that I've missed something." The three teams nod, Velvet giving her friend a quick hug.

"What brought that feeling on?" Yatsudachi asks.

"I was going through the rosters, since I had to update my semblance. Some of the other's semblances could have helped them survive if they have had access to their aura, doesn't help to try." The ravenette says.

"Unfortunately, we cannot take you to the Dead Wall at this time." Ozpin's voice says from behind. "With the upcoming festival Ironwood has locked down travel to and from it." Shade nods sadly. "I'll speak with him about it, but I'm afraid that you can't travel there today." The Headmaster pats Shade's shoulder before moving on.

"Welp, there goes that plan." Shade sighs. "I'll probably join RWBY for the day then."

"Alright!" Ruby shouts, her fist in the air. "Let's go TEEEAAAMMM RWBYS!" The table collectively raises an eyebrow.

"RWBYS?" Shade asks. Ruby giggles innocently.

"Weeeelllllll, since you're joining us today you're a part of the team!" The reaper says excitedly. Shade shrugs. "So the name has to match!"

"Ruby, I doubt I'll ever be able to understand how your mind works." Jaune mutters, Shade shakes his head.

"Jaune, the second you think you can understand how a woman's mind works is the second you're truly screwed." The Scout says, standing with the rest of RWBY. "So, as my mentor once said, don't even bother to try. You only know as much as the lady allows you when it comes to how their mind works."

"Sound advice." Ren says, Yatsudachi nodding in agreement. "Nora is a perfect example of it."

"Coco is as well." Yatsu agrees. Both girls gain a rather eerie aura around them.

"Well gentlemen, I'll leave you to your punishment." Velvet says, Fox and her standing while Jaune and Pyrrha move further away from their hammer-wielding friend. Shade chuckles as he follows RWBY out, the sounds of Minigun fire and explosions following.

 _(Since my previous linebreaks seem to have not transferred over in previous chapters,)_

 _(LINEBREAK)_

"Why are we at the docks?" Blake asks.

"Oh they smell like fish!" Ruby says, holding her nose.

"As you said earlier, the students from Vacuo will arrive by ship." Weiss says. "I wish to greet them to the fine city of Vale."

"You just want to spy on them." Yang says teasingly. "Right Shade?" The Iron Lord didn't respond. "Shade?" The teen was looking at something behind the girls, and they turn to see him staring at a dust shop. A dust shop with a broken window and a police line outside of it.

"Let's go check it out." He says, making his way over. RWBY follows.

"What happened here?" Weiss asks the two policemen.

"Robbery, seventh dust shop hit this week." Officer 1 says. "Who would need all this dust?"

"You thinking the uhh." Officer 2 starts, "The White Fang?"

"Maybe, doesn't fit their MO though. This shop had Faunus workers in it." Officer 1 replies.

"Hmph, The White Fang, what a bunch of degenerates." Weiss says haughtily. Shade sees Blake's eyes narrow. Quickly placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, he shakes his head.

"They never caught that Torchwick guy I fought a few months back." Ruby says, "Maybe it was him?"

"Perhaps, but no one can argue that the White Fang are nothing but a bunch of criminals." Weiss says snottily.

"Perhaps," Shade cuts in before Blake blows her top. "But I think it would be beneficial for all of us to try to understand their side of things as well, right Weiss?" The Heiress nods.

"Of course, it is important know both sides of an argument." She says, and Blake calms down. "I just don't think that they'd really sit down and talk these days instead of just attacking." Shade nods. "You have to understand that when the White Fang turned hostile they practically started a war against my family, and while I do admit that my father has been using questionable labor forces in the mines, it isn't right for people to be killed just because of where they work." Weiss grits her teeth slightly, "I know that the White Fang want change, but just terrorizing people will only fan the flames of hatred. I don't hate the Faunus, I'm on good terms with Velvet after all, but I dislike the current White Fang." Blake had given a soft smile, and Shade grins slightly.

"Hey! Stop that Faunus!" A shout from the port echoes. The students rush to the docks, watching as a blond-haired monkey Faunus runs from some crewmen.

"Thanks for the lift!" The Faunus shouts.

"You no-good stowaway!" A crewman shouts.

"Hey! A no-good stowaway would have been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" The Faunus retorts, peeling a banana.

"Alright kid, why don't you come on down and we'll talk this out." Officer 1 says. The Faunus throws the banana peel on the officer's face. With a laugh, the Faunus takes off, running right by the five students, winking at Blake as he does so.

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, there it goes!" Yang says.

"After him!" Weiss gasps, "We must observe!" RWBY sprints after the male Faunus, while Shade just walks lazily behind them. The Iron Lord turns the corner to find a redhead lying on the ground while RWBY stares at her. He sighs as he moves to help the girl up.

"Are you alright?" He asks, holding out his hand. The redhead's green eyes seem to think for a second, before she accepts his hand.

"Indeed! I'm just lovely today!" The redhead says with an unnatural pep in her voice. Shade just raises an eyebrow. "I'm Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you! What are your names?"

"Ruby Rose!" Ruby chirps.

"Weiss Schnee."

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Yang asks, an elbow from Blake and a cuff to the back of the head from Shade knocks some sense into her. "Yang Xiao-Long."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny says.

"You've already said that." Weiss mutters. Penny thinks for a second.

"So I did!" The redhead says. She then turns to Shade. "I know who you are! Ironwood told me! You're Vanguard Shade Kurogane!" Shade rolls his eyes.

"Ironwood, huh? So I can assume you're from Atlas?" The Scout asks, Penny nods. "How's the general doing? I haven't seen him since I got my official license."

"The General is doing well!" Penny exclaims. Shade checks his watch.

"Well Penny, it's getting late. We need to head back to our dorms and I'm sure you shouldn't be out too late, correct?" The Scout asks, and Penny nods once again. "We'll see you later." The Beacon students make their way back to their dorms. Ruby leaving a quick goodbye that leaves Penny somewhat confused. Shade walks with RWBY through the dorms, before moving towards his own when they stop. Blake's hand stops him.

"Guys…" The girl says, hesitating for a second. "I have something I need to show you." The rest of RWBY looks to their raven-haired companion with confusion while Shade grins slightly. "Is it alright if Shade enters the dorm?" The rest of the team nods while the five enter the dorm.

"Living life on the edge, aren't you?" The Iron Lord says as he glances at the makeshift bunkbeds. Ruby chuckles sheepishly. The girls take a seat on the lower beds while Shade takes a seat on the floor near the door. Blake leans against the windowsill, her eyes darting around the room. The amber eyes meet Shade's green ones, and the Iron Lord nods in encouragement.

"I want to ask that you save any questions until I finish, alright?" Blake asks, and the rest of the team nods. Blake gives a shaky sigh, trembling hands reaching up to her bow. Shade catches a flash of yellow from outside the dorm, and meets the eyes of the monkey-Faunus from before. The Iron Lord shrugs slightly, not really caring about the blond Faunus outside the open window. Blake unties her bow, revealing her ears for all to see. RWBY's dorm is filled with a collective gasp while Shade grins. Blake's eyes were shut tightly.

"I knew you'd look better without the bow!" The Monkey-Faunus says, catching everyone's attention. Shade facepalms as the blond flips through the open window. Instantly he's met with blades and guns aimed at his general direction. "I come in peace!"

"Why were you outside our dorm!?" Weiss shouts. The male shrugs.

"I got lost and saw you five, I just followed you here. I wanted to knock and ask where I could find a teacher so I could find the visiting student's dorm but this is much more interesting!" The blond says. "I'm Sun Wukong! I'm from Mistral!" The introduction isn't really given a warm welcome.

"Leave him be." Shade says. "Yes, his addition is unplanned but Sun basically knew about Blake already, Faunus are good at identifying other Faunus, Velvet has a suspicion as well." Shade turns to Blake, who was almost at the point of a serious freak-out. "Blake, deep breaths, then continue."

"O-okay." The girl says, breathing in and sighing. "I'm sorry about hiding this from you all." The girl's voice was quiet, and timid. "I wanted people to see me for who I am, not what I am." Ruby and Yang shrug.

"With or without those ears you're still Blake. You're still our friend and my partner." Yang says, and Ruby nods. Blake smiles, but that falls just as quickly.

"Yeah, but that's….That's not all." She says, looking to Weiss. The heiress hasn't said a word, opting to watch her teammate with a raised brow. "I used… I used to be a member of the White Fang." The room erupts into chaos, Weiss flying to her feet while Yang and Ruby share a look. Sun just looks apathetic, with the few gears he has in his head turning.

"WHAT!" Weiss shouts, but a crackle of energy draws everyone's attention as Shade's semblance bleeds through.

"Weiss, let Blake finish." The Scout says, his glowing green eyes staring right into the Ice-blue ones of the heiress. Weiss nods. "And make sure you listen. You said earlier that learning the other's side is important for peace, prove it. Learn Blake's side of things." Blake had looked ready to bolt, and was currently trying to fold in on herself.

"M-my dad was the old leader." The girl says, "He was strict and fair, never let us use violence. He stepped down to look after Menagerie, since he's the chieftain there. I basically was born into the White Fang because of him, I took part in every protest and peace rally I can remember. Then dad stepped down and the new leader took his place. One with more….. violent ideas. Before I knew it signs were replaced with blades and we terrorized people, even killed people." Blake's eyes are full of fear when she looks to her team. Yang and Ruby looked conflicted, but encouraging at the same time. Weiss was stoic however, and Blake didn't know what to think about that. "I-I never killed anyone. I only stole what I needed to survive. I left when, when I was supposed to blow up a Schnee Dust train. I didn't, and I've never looked back! I wasn't going to take part of something if it lead to the murder of innocent people!" Shade grins slightly. "But. I just ran, I didn't try to stop it. I ran away from my problems, and I kept on running! Hiding myself and my ears from you when I should have told you all from the start but I was afraid! I didn't know you, and I didn't want to lose the only real friends I had." Weiss sighs, standing up and moving to the window, next to Blake.

"The White Fang have killed friends, and coworkers just for working for my father." The heiress says. "I have no patience for them." Blake looks ready to burst into tears at that. "However, you said that you didn't kill anyone, correct?" Blake nods, her ears twitching. "You said that you joined when the Fang was still peaceful, and your father was the leader in those peaceful times?" Another nod. "You were young and impressionable, like me. We didn't know both sides of the situation. You still held onto your morals, your father's ideas of peace even while in a violent group such as the Fang." Weiss turns to Blake, her icy eyes softening. "Blake Belladonna, you are my teammate, but more importantly, you are my friend. You're not a member anymore? So I don't care about the past. All I ask is that you don't hesitate to tell us stuff like this sooner." Blake bursts into tears while Weiss pulls her into a hug. Ruby and Yang follow soon after and RWBY is in a big group-hug.

"I'll make sure to do that." Blake says, a smile on her face. A quick glance over to Shade shows a wide grin on his face while Sun has a small one of his own. The dorm is silent for a moment before Sun breaks it.

"I hate to break the mood, but I think I know what the Fang might be doing right now." The blond says. "I overheard the crewmen saying something about a shipment of dust coming in on Sunday."

"You sure?" Shade says, his eyes growing sharp.

"Yeah, pretty sure. Huge Schnee shipment." Sun replies. "I thought it would be good to let you all know." Weiss smiles at Sun.

"I may not really know how I feel about you yet, but thank you." The white-haired girl says. "I'll contact the company."

"I'll inform Ozpin." Shade says.

"And then RWBY will go patrol the docks Sunday." Ruby says suddenly. "I have a feeling that there's something going on here, because that Torchwick guy is also after dust." The rest of RWBY nods. "Sun, Shade, you two in?" Both males grin and nod.

"We'll see how the Fang fares against an Iron Lord." The male ravenette says. "Everyone, get some sleep. Sun, I have a spare bed in my dorm. We'll talk with Ozpin in the morning." The six all grin and nod, the two males leaving the dorm as they all make plans for the coming days.

 **A/N And done!**

 **Sorry for some major changes but I thought it would be appropriate with Shade's note to Blake in chapter 5.**

 **So….. Things are going on and I have one question for you all. I had Shade mention that he'd want to go back to the Dead Zone and see if anyone survived. I have a thought out story that can go in both ways. So I'll ask this.**

 **Should I have the original Vanguard alive? I would explain how Kuroka, Celestia, and Luna survived if this is a favored option, this has pros and cons. A pro would be that Weiss and Yang could have more individual training to be a Support and Guardian respectively. A con would be, well, a few errors in previous chapters as well as some changes in story, canon and otherwise.**

 **The other option is for no Iron Lords to return. A pro would be that the story would focus more on Shade and RWBY's training, but a con would be that Weiss and Yang aren't as individually trained because Shade is a Scout and only really qualified to train Scouts.**

 **Before you ask, I will not bring back other Iron Lords besides the before mentioned three. Partially because even if I don't bring the Vanguard back I'm still going to have them in the story through other means, namely logs and memories. Another reason is because I don't want to bring back Shiro and Vivian because that'll be a conflict of interest as well mess up the whole relationship things I have planned.**

 **Shade HAS to fully come to terms with his friends' deaths, and I'm pretty sure you can all guess how he felt about Vivian. Bringing back Shiro and/or Vivian would just throw everything out of wack.**

 **Well, that's it, I want to know what you all think! Original Vanguard alive or keep them dead?**

 **On another note, Now that I'm almost done with Vol.1, I'm going write a chapter of another fic while I refamiliarize myself with Vol.2 (because I sorta skimmed over Vol.2).**

 **So with that! Emerald Night out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright!**

 **So yeah, I know I update this around every week or two, but now I'm getting more hours at work and applying for college so updates may not be as frequent. I will NOT abandon this story, I promise you that. I just returned to the site after five years or so from a hiatus and I will not disappear again unless I can't help it. With that, onwards!**

 **Thanks to the guest Anonymous Fanz. I know that Shade seems too happy-go-lucky for someone who lost his friends and family. Good guess on his training and that he's good at hiding things. It's pretty close.**

 **It has to do with his training and the fact that he spent five years in the Dead Zone, a place where if he gave into the sorrow it would attract Grimm. Iron Lords are trained to put their job before themselves, so Shade pushed everything aside in order to do his job, survive. He also considers training RWBY as a job, so he's pushing everything aside to do that. I purposely made him Happy-go-lucky because even when his fellow Iron Lords are brought up he doesn't think on the topic too much, and doesn't talk about them for too long.**

 **Bottling one's emotions is how some people cope with loss, it's how I cope with things. It's a rather self-harming process of self-denial and guilt, and puts a strain on the psyche, Shade will break soon, I promise.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Destiny, if I did, well let's just say I'd be out of a job pretty soon.**_

The first thing RWBY, Sun, and Shade did that Saturday morning was meet up and go straight to Ozpin, Weiss and Ruby branching off to go to the CCT tower. Shade had fond memories of the CCT system, Luna and him had entertained the idea of possibly allowing it to transmat physical objects from tower to tower. Those ideas, however, never got really far. Shade remembers Luna didn't quite trust the CCTS because the whole system relied on all four towers being active, posing a massive flaw to the system. Shade had pondered ideas of fixing that flaw in the system while he was trapped in the Dead Zone, he only came up with the idea to make the entire system modular. Instead of the system containing four primary towers, each tower contains a smaller system that allows the kingdoms to communicate with each other but not have the whole system down if a kingdom should fall.

The elevator doors opening up snaps Shade out of his thoughts. He leads Sun, Blake, and Yang out of the elevator and into the headmaster's office, the large clock system ticking away.

"Mr. Kurogane, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Ozpin asks.

"Bravo Delta six niner seven." Shade says, and the room grows dark as the windows shade. Ozpin's face grows serious.

"What's the issue Vanguard?" The headmaster says, as Ironwoods face pops up on a screen on the wall.

"I received intelligence about a potential White Fang heist." The Iron Lord says. "I've heard there's a rather large Schnee dust shipment arriving tomorrow, and that's just practically inviting the White Fang."

"Yes. It was a possibility we considered." Ironwood says, narrowing his eyes at the four teens. "I don't see the point of having the other three here though."

"Mr. Wukong here." Shade says, as Sun steps forwards. "Was my informant, since he was a stowaway on a ship until he arrived yesterday ahead of the rest of the students from Haven, Blake and Yang were present when I received the information. Ruby and Weiss are at the CCT tower informing the SDC." Shade looks to both headmasters. "However, I have reason to believe that this isn't just so the White Fang can deal a blow to the SDC."

"Explain." Ironwood says.

"There's been seven dust shop robberies this week, many of which have had Faunus workers, yet the White Fang still robs them, Roman Torchwick also hasn't been caught, but even he and the White Fang never needed that much dust. I suspect that there may be a possibility of Torchwick working with the Fang."

"The White Fang would never work with a human like Torchwick." Blake says, drawing attention from everyone.

"Ironwood, this is Blake Belladonna." Shade says.

"Why do you say that Belladonna?" Ironwood says, while Blake removes her bow.

"Because I used to work with those terrorists." She says, her ears twitching. "My dad was the old leader before they went violent." Ironwood nods.

"Perhaps..." Shade thinks. "Perhaps they're not working together voluntarily." All eyes turn to him.

"What do you mean?" Ozpin asks, Ironwood and him sharing a quick glance.

"I mean, what if there's a bigger picture being painted that we don't know about." Shade mutters, pacing back and forth. "What if the Fang and Torchwick both work for the same person, and are being forced to work together by their boss. That much dust can build a bomb capable enough of taking out a CCT tower, or supply an army long after international communication is cut off." His eyes glow as he looks to Ironwood. "General, what would you do if, say, the Kingdom of Vale collapsed?"

"I would assess the situation and close the borders." The General responds. "Which would... Cut off the other Kingdom's supply from the primary dust supplier of the world."

"Exactly." Shade says. "Ironwood. I think it's time to upgrade the CCT systems. Make the entire system able to operate off of two towers, but able to connect to four. That way the system cannot be taken down at once. Then you should make a separate system for domestic use only." Ironwood thinks for a second.

"That would take some time." The General says. "And some money."

"Better to lose some money than to have the world fall into chaos." Shade says. "In the meantime, increase security on the towers. Make sure they can't be hacked, from the inside." Ironwood raises an eyebrow. "The problem with having the public access in the actual tower is that everything plugged in is able to bypass your firewalls. I would increase a firewall on it, working 24/7 so that no one can hack in. I don't care if it would cause files to be transferred slower, as long as the towers are secure." Shade thinks for a second. "Because if someone can hack into a tower, they gain access to everything connected to it, and as a military leader you can guess how bad that would be." Ironwood nods.

"We'll get right on that." Ironwood says.

"Keep it under wraps." Shade warns. "If Roman's boss wants to hack into the CCTS then we don't want them knowing about it so they can change their plan. Make them think everything is going as planned, and then we'll watch as their plan falls apart."

"Understood, we'll disguise it as system maintenance." Ironwood says. "About that dust shipment."

"Leave it to RWBY, Sun, and I." the Scout says, "It shouldn't be more than I can handle, if you'd keep CFVY and JNPR on standby just in case it would be appreciated." Ozpin nods.

"Clear." The aged headmaster says.

"Clear." Ironwood echoes. The General's face disappears as the room lightens up again. Ruby and Weiss enter the room soon after.

"Alright." Ozpin says. "This is an official mission given to Iron Lord Shade Kurogane, with assistance from team RWBY and Sun Wukong. Stop the White Fang from stealing the dust shipment. Shade, your team is yours."

"Alright. We meet near the docks tomorrow at noon. The White Fang won't risk a heist in broad daylight, so we stake out the area." Shade says. "Take the rest of the day to get your equipment ready, and relax." RWBY and Sun nod, and the six exit Ozpin's office. Shade quickly moves to the edges of the cliffs, staring over the city. His scroll vibrates, and he sees that Ozpin had sent him something. Opening the file he finds an address, with orders to visit them after the mission.

 _(Linebreak)_

Shade had quickly gotten some lunch before returning to his dorm. He spent the rest of the day maintaining Forgotten Night, his pistol, and But Not Forgotten. It was a half-hour before dinner when a knock on the door catches his attention.

"It's open." He calls out, quickly unlocking the door from his scroll. Blake quickly enters the room, her bow off and ears standing tall. "What can I do for you Blake?" The Faunus raises an eyebrow at the scene she walks into. Shade was sitting crosslegged on the floor, his rifle and pistol in parts around him while he was sharpening Forgotten Night with a wetstone.

"You've been busy." She comments. Shade chuckles as he motions for her to take a seat.

"I don't like mechasift weapons." The Scout says. "It's too complex to maintain while on a long mission if something broke." Blake nods in understanding as she takes a seat next to him, her back leaning against his. "However, the concept of a mechashift weapon interests me if I would carry spare parts for it, but since a Scout needs to pack light I can't afford to carry spare parts." Blake hums in agreement while she takes out Gambol Shroud and does some quick maintenance.

"I like your fighting style actually." She says, throwing a smirk over her shoulder. "It's unique to you, it's something that I may hope to learn." Shade chuckles, shaking his head.

"No, I think it's time for the Iron Lords to move into the modern era." He says, nudging her slightly when he grabs the barrel for But Not Forgotten. "I think that RWBY's Iron Blades should be the first Iron Lord mechashift weapons." Blake smiles slightly.

"Would you make one yourself?" She asks. Shade shakes his head.

"No, I don't think I would. Even when I was younger I didn't have a mechashift weapon. I left the range to Vivian." He says.

"Vivian, your friend that was training to be a Support, right?" Blake asks. "What was she like?"

"Vi, Vi was the best." He says, leaning back into her. "She was like, really smart. I was raised in an orphanage until Vivian's family put me in their foster care. She was, basically, my best friend." The Scout trails off, and unknown to his Faunus friend, his eyes dull and become conflicted. Blake lightly bumps her head against his head. "Sorry, just, not now. After the mission perhaps." Blake grins sadly.

"It's okay." She says. The two continue in a companionable silence until Shade's watch rings out just as he assembles the rest of his weapons.

"Dinner time." He says, standing and placing his weapons in the rack. "I didn't ask, but why did you come here?" He asks while helping her up.

"Yang was being loud, Ruby was blasting music, and Weiss was humming rather loudly." She says. "I wanted to read in silence so I left and just went here, since you generally stay quiet. I wasn't expecting to do this but it was actually kinda calming." Shade grins as they walk down the hall, meeting up with the rest of RWBY.

"Heya you two!" Yang says, a cheeky smile on her face. "Out on a date or somethin'?" Blake blushes slightly while Shade raises an eyebrow.

"And if we were?" He asks, here Blake's face turns as red as Ruby's cloak. Weiss chokes on her own spit while Yang sputters. Ruby giggles manically.

"Wha-" Yang says, and Shade bursts out chuckles.

"Just kidding." He says, and Blake punches him in the arm, hard enough to leave a decent dent in his aura. "Ow! What was that for!?"

"Don't make jokes like that." She says, her amber eyes holding a cross between amusement and annoyance. Ruby falls to the ground giggling while holding her stomach. Weiss catches her breath with a grin on her face while Yang smirks. The five make their way to get dinner. JNPR and CFVY look on in confusion as Shade avoids Blake as much as possible while the rest of RWBY look on in amusement.

"Okay, what did we miss?" Coco asks. Shade rubs his arm.

"Blake's punches hurt." He mutters, before looking at his friends. "You guys get your standby orders?" Coco and Jaune nod. "Good, just standby unless I give the word. You'll know who's the enemy by the weird masks they'll probably be wearing." Coco nods while Jaune gives a thumbs up. The group finishes their meal and turns in for the night.

As Shade stares at his two pictures before going to bed, RWBY was going through their nightly rituals. Blake was reading, Yang was climbing into bed. Ruby was practically passed out already while Weiss was on the verge of falling asleep herself. Blake was thinking about the day, as she absent mindedly flips the page. She grins, closing her book and turning off the light.

"Goooooodddd Nigghhhhttt Tttttteeeaaam RWBY!" Ruby sleepily says. The team falls asleep to chuckles and Weiss's half-groan, half-chuckle.

 _(-Linebreak-)_

Shade had awoke in a cold sweat.

"Damn nightmares." He mutters. The Scout stands and slips off his bed, dressing in scrubs and heading to the gym, quickly noting the early hour of four in the morning. He quickly throws down his bag and takes a Kickboxing stance against a sandbag. Lightning covers his fists as he instantly starts off with a right straight, the sandbag flying up and nearly snapping the chain it hung on in the process. Spinning around, the Scout follows up with a powerful elbow to the bag. This process continues for a few hours, the lightning had disappeared long ago, but as Shade continued well past breakfast his friends knew something was going on. Yang instantly found him, opting to go to the gym herself before their mission. She arrived to find Shade elbowing the sandbag one last time, his aura flickering before the bag bursts at the seams, exploding in sand. Yang whistles.

"You must be pretty strong." Yang chuckles. Shade grunts.

"Been wailing on the thing since four." The Scout mutters, taking a seat as he removes his shirt.

"You've been here for four hours? Why'd you wake up that early?" The blonde asks. Shade shrugs.

"Nightmares, don't wanna talk about it." He says, "Wait... I MISSED BREAKFAST!" The Iron Lord sprints out the door, forgetting his shirt and bag. Yang struggles to hold in her laugh as shrieks fill the air outside the door. Shade stumbles back through it a few moments later. "Forgot my shirt..."

"Yea, I heard." She chuckles, hanging up a new sandbag. Shade grumbles as he puts on his shirt and grabs his bag.

"You ready?" He asks, the brawler nods. "Okay, I'll see you at twelve." Yang waves half-heartedly as he leaves the gym, getting breakfast and then taking a nap.

 _(-LB-)_

Shade had arrived to the docks early, and instantly met the hired thugs that the Schnee Dust company quickly hired.

"Beat it." The Iron Lord says. The mercenaries growl.

"Make us." The leader says. Shade sighs as he shows his ID.

"I'm an active duty Huntsman assigned to the defense of this shipment, my students and I will handle this, and as a Huntsman currently in the field, I'm higher in chain of command than you. So, beat It." The Scout says, "I have a plan and your presence will only get in my way." The mercs grit their teeth before walking away. Shade enters the Dock Manager's office.

"You that Huntsman Ozpin called me about?" The Manager asks. Shade nods. "What do you need?"

"I need a standard issue security workers outfit, I'm going to be undercover while my team is concealed elsewhere." The Scout says, the Manager nods and runs through some things.

"I have an outfit and the standard issue rifle, you'll have to ditch your current rifle and blade to blend in." The manager says, Shade nods.

"I'll leave them with my team. Could you notify security to stay clear of the area?" He asks, the Manager nods again. "Good, let me get changed and I'll be on my way." Shade quickly gets changed and meets RWBY and Sun outside.

"What's with the gettup?" Sun asks.

"I'll be undercover as a security guard doing a patrol, they'll think of me as an easy target and try to take me out." The male ravenette replies. "Weiss, could you hold onto But Not Forgotten and Forgotten Night for me?" The Heiress nods, taking the two weapons. "Alright, everyone coordinate with Ruby on finding a good stakeout position. She may not look it, but she's a sniper. Half of the job of a sniper is just finding a good nest to camp in." The five nods. "Good, sundown is in six hours, I'm assuming the Fang will arrive in seven. Shipment is arriving in two hours and will take two to fully unload. You'll have two hours beforehand to get used to the area, Blake." The female Faunus's eyes snap to the Iron Lord. "Find any choke points and try to guess on how they'll arrive, take Sun with you. Afterwards you two will post on the roof."

"Hello friends!" A familiar voice exclaims, the group jumps to find Penny suddenly in the middle. "Salutations!"

"Penny! What are you doing here?!" Ruby says. Shade groans.

"General Ironwood told me to be here!" She says. Weiss was slamming her head on a nearby streetlight.

"Fine." Shade mutters. "Weiss, you're with Yang, find a good area overlooking the center on the ground so Weiss can freeze them and the Yang can punch them, Ruby, you're with Penny, I don't care where you plant yourself as long as the enemy won't see you. Report in once you've found a spot. Blake, Sun, and Ruby, as well as Penny I guess, once they do so try to find them, if any one of those four can see you, you're too exposed, clear?" The group nods, and Penny salutes.

"I'm combat ready!" She says. Ruby grins slightly.

"What will you be doing?" Blake asks.

"I'll be speaking with the guard captain and figuring out the patrol routes and times. The Fang most likely will strike between patrols." He says. "Alright, break." The seven break off, everyone moving to do their tasks, all preparing for the fight ahead.

 _(Linebreak)_

"I don't think they're coming." Blake sighs.

"Still, we have a job to do." Shae mutters into his mic. Blake's bow twitches.

"I hear something." The female Faunus says. Shade nods slightly, starting a patrol. A Bullhead flies in, and Shade finds himself surrounded by White Fang members. The Bullhead lands and a redhaired man exits.

"These aren't leashes boys, get to work!" The human male says. Shade narrows his eyes. "Ah, so sorry, but I jobs are jobs. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," Shade mutters, a Faunus walking behind him to restrain the Scout. "Now!" Instantly, Roman Torchwick finds the blade of Gambol Shroud at his neck while her bow flies off into the wind.

"Brothers of the White Fang, why do you aid this scum!" The female Ravenette shouts. Roman chuckles.

"Oh, my dear, didn't you get the memo? The White Fang and I are going on a joint business venture."

"Well call it off before I put an end to your little operation." Blake growls. Shade's attention is caught as three more Bullheads fly up.

"Well I wouldn't call it little." Roman says, flipping up the sight on his cane. Shade suddenly draws his pistol, smashing the Fang member behind him with the hilt and shooting the cane out of Roman's hands. The rest of the team quickly jumps into action as more Fang members jump from the Bullheads. A large male jumps out, a chainsaw sword in his and.

"Yang, Weiss. Take care of chainsaw." Shade orders, as Weiss launches his glaive to him. Grabbing the weapon, Shade twirls it around his neck before attacking Roman. "Blake and Sun, take care of the grunts. Ruby back up Yang and Weiss. Penny, do whatever you do."

"Kids these days." Roman mutters, grabbing his cane. Shade leaps towards his enemy. "Who are you kid?!" The thief jumps back, narrowly avoiding the flaming weapon as Shade doesn't give Roman the time to recover.

"I'm sure you can guess." Shade mutters, brandishing his weapon so that the Scout emblem that was engraved in the side could be seen. Roman's eyes widen as Shade charges forwards, his glaive catching fire. Roman blocks the strike with his cane, pulling the trigger as he spins it around. Both the cane and the glaive become a blur of fire and bullets as the two fight at a stalemate. Shade quickly gains the upperhand, smashing his weapon into the side of Roman and sending the thief flying into a shipping container. Shade moves off to help Weiss and Yang with chainsaw dude, diving under the large blade and delivering a few quick stabs.

Roman shakes off a few cobwebs, and looks up. Seeing the Blake was isolated away from Sun, the thief launches the hook of his cane at the girl. Shade runs forwards, pushing the girl out of the way as the hook catches him around the neck. Roman pulls, swinging Shade into an open container. Roman fires his weapon into the container and laughs manically at the resulting explosion.

"Shade!" Blake shouts, launching at Roman. The Faunus warps around the thief, landing strike after strike until Roman gets a lucky strike in, knocking the girl off balance. Roman keeps on striking Blake, knocking the girl down. Quickly glancing up to see a container hanging from a crane, Roman shoots it, knocking it off the hook and causing it to fall on Blake, or it would have if a blur hadn't grabbed Blake and rolled her out of the way. Shade pops up from his position on the ground, his pistol drawn as he unloads the revolver into Roman's chest. Drawing his Iron Blade, Shade surrounds it with lightning as he throws it at Torchwick, the spear like weapon sailing through the air and slamming into the thief. The resulting impact sends him flying back into the Bullhead he arrived in.

"Let's go!" Roman shouts. "These kids just keep getting weirder." Penny destroys the last few Bullheads as Shade retrieves his weapon, the lightning disappearing. Shade's knees buckle, and Blake suddenly appears at his side, keeping him up.

"Thanks Blake." Shade says, grinning up at her.

"How'd you survive?" The girl asks, leaning him against a container.

"My armor is blast resistant, so I let it do the job while focusing my aura on my head." He explains, catching his breath. Blake shakes her head as everyone surrounds the two. "Good job everyone. Sorry about that container Weiss." The heiress waves a head.

"It's fine, I'm just glad you're okay." She says. Shade nods.

"Alright, report back to Ozpin for me, I have to do something." The Scout says, standing. "Ozpin sent me an address to visit." Blake raises an eyebrow.

"I'll go with you." The female ravenette says. "You look like you're gonna pass out, I'm going with you." Shade sighs and nods, Blake helping him up as he pulls out his scroll.

 _(Linebreak)_

Shade and Blake were walking down the residential district, checking mailboxes for the numbers.

"This is it." Blake says. Shade nods, walking up to the front door.

"Why would Ozpin send me here?" He mutters, knocking. A blue haired woman answers the door.

"Hello, how can I-" The woman says, freezing when she takes a look at Shade's face. "Shade?!"

"Mrs. Aquarius?" Shade whispers, his eyes widening at her face.

 _(Meanwhile)_

A minor tremor rumbles through the Dead Zone, and in a collapsed cave on the edge of a burnt battlefield a few rocks tumble away from the entrance, revealing purple hair surrounded by a white glow.

 **A/N: Done, I know there's a ton of linebreaks and skips, but I got tired and whatnot. Everything was stated in the beginning, so bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright, season 1 is almost done! Just this chapter to do! Hang in there! XD.**

 **I dropped a lot of things at the end of last chapter, but since this is an original chapter, things shouldn't be so long.**

 **Quick explanation of last events. The address Ozpin sent Shade was a last-minute idea that I added. So, if it seems that way that's because it was. I originally planned for Shade to stumble across Vivian's parents in the market, but thought that this way was probably more controlled and easier. Ozpin is a teacher, but he's also a huntsman. Without a doubt Ozpin could find Vivian's family, and since he's a teacher Ozpin knows that Shade hasn't really come to terms with what happened five years ago. Some teaching degrees require studying psychology. With that in mind, Ozpin's full reasons will be explained later.**

 **I'm sure you can guess what was going on with the last paragraph in the Dead Zone, if not, I'll give you a hint. Who's the only character I've introduced that has purple hair? That white glow is a secret, and will be revealed shortly.**

 **Quick forewarning, I've never been good with the emotional stuff. I mean, I pretty much as happy-go-lucky as can be and it's extremely hard to fully express myself to others. A lot of that translates to Shade, and I try, but I've never been good at really giving my characters deep emotions beyond anger and joy. I just ask that y'all bear with me.**

 **With that, onwards.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Destiny.**_

Shade simply stares in shock at the woman who became his surrogate mother. Mrs. Aquarius quickly shouts back into the house.

"Clancy! Come here!" The woman shouts. Shade winces as a tall, teal-haired man appears in the doorway.

"Iris, what is I-" Mr. Aquarius glances out at Shade, quickly recognizing the teen. "By the gods, Shade." The Scout is speechless, looking between the two, trying to find something to say. Blake simply stands in the background, watching with bated breath.

"I-I." Shade tries to speak, but is quickly interrupted when Mrs. Aquarius pulls him into a tight hug, tears falling freely from her face. Mr. Aquarius wraps the two in a hug of his own, a few tears falling from his eyes. Shade's arm twitches, and he tries to hug them back, but quickly fails to do so.

Iris Aquarius was a petite woman with long blue hair and brown eyes. She was a doctor, and more specifically a surgeon.

Clancy Aquarius was a tall man with broad shoulders, teal hair, and deep azure eyes. He once was a special forces operator in Mistral before becoming a policeman.

Their daughter had been Vivian Aquarius, Shade's best friend and fellow Iron Lord cadet before her untimely demise in the Dead Zone, Vivian looked like her mother, having her mother's blue hair and facial structure while carrying her father's azure eyes.

Shade's thoughts are broken when the embrace is released, Mrs. Aquarius still crying with a large smile on her face.

"We heard that an Iron Lord had survived, and we hoped beyond all doubt that it was Vivian, Shiro, or you." The woman says. Shade was still speechless, fighting an uphill battle to keep his emotions in check, to keep the memories and the pain and the suffering back. The Iron Lord bites his lower lip as Mrs. Aquarius hugs him again. "I'm so glad you're alive." The similarities between the parents and their daughter was too much for Shade's well-built walls and emotional defenses, their kindness confusing him.

"W-why are you being so kind to me?" He whispers, Mrs. Aquarius pulling back to look at him with a confused face. "I'm the reason Vivian is dead and you should hate me!" Shade's green eyes were dull, and both parents as well as Blake could see the internal war that was waging in the Scout's mind as unwanted memories and emotions break their chains.

"Shade." Mrs. Aquarius says. "It's not your fault, how could you think that?"

"I promised you I'd keep her safe!" He shouts, tears falling from his face. "I promised you that I'd protect her with my life! But when She needed me most I wasn't there!"

"Shade, you were send flying by an explosion, there was nothing you could have done." Blake says, walking up behind him.

"I could've run faster, I should have seen that grenade coming!" The scout says, refusing to meet the Aquarius's eyes. "It's a Scout's job to watch the Supports, to make sure the Support can do their job of assisting the Guardians unhindered. I was supposed to protect her! I was right there! If I wasn't so weak I would've been able to take the hit! Vivian is dead because I was too weak to protect her! My best friend is dead because of me." The Iron Lord slumps to the ground, five years' worth of pent up emotions of sorrow and anger finally winning the battle for the Scout's mind as the Iron Lord sobs into the ground. "If I had been able to save her then Shiro wouldn't have been overwhelmed." Mrs. Aquarius crouches down to pull him into a hug. Blake leans down in front of him as Mr. Aquarius runs inside to get something.

"Shade." The female Faunus says, placing her hand on his shoulder. Her ears twitch at his pained sobs. "It's not your fault." The Iron Lord shakes his head. "Shade, look at me. Look at me Shade." Dull emeralds slowly meet amber. "I may not know Vivian or Shiro, but I know you. I know that you did everything that was physically possible to save your friends. Sometimes," Blake pauses, thinking for her words. "Sometimes even going beyond our limits isn't enough. Shade it was the Dead Zone, the Iron Lords knew that they were probably going to die, you did, and I'm sure Vivian and Shiro did." Shade sniffles as Mrs. Aquarius holds him tighter.

"Indeed." Mr. Aquarius says, his scroll in his hand. "I know that the cadets were given the option to stay out of it, and I know that you didn't even hesitate to say that you were going." Opening his scroll, He plays a short voicemail. "Vivian knew it, but she went anyway."

 _"Hey mom, dad."_ Vivian's voice rings out from the scroll. _"I'm sure you already know that the Lords are mobilizing to the Dead Zone. I'm going as well. By the time you guys return home the battle should be over. So I'll say this. The cadets didn't have to go. In fact, we were practically ordered to stay behind. I was considering not going, but Shade instantly stood up to Luna and said that he was going, with or without her permission. He didn't even hesitate. The rest of the cadets followed his example one by one."_ Shade chuckles wetly. _"It was an unspoken Iron Lord rule that a Guardian is the leader of a fireteam, but to us cadets, Shade is out leader. He's the one that literally worked from rock bottom to be here, the one that worked to hardest to stand by our side. If Shade was going, we all were going, because we were gonna back up our leader and friend. I was going to back up my best friend."_ Vivian's voice chuckles. _"I know there's a good chance for all of us to die, so, while Shade was gearing up, the rest of us decided to make a designated survivor, someone all of us were going to do our hardest to have survive. We all picked Shade. So if he survives, tell him it isn't his fault, we all went willingly, and he can't blame himself for our decisions. I gotta go now, bye guys."_

"By the time Iris and I got home she was dead." Mr. Aquarius says. "And we thought you were dead. Shade, could can't blame yourself. Vi wouldn't want that. Luna wouldn't." Shade nods, running his sleeve over his eyes. Mrs. Aquarius leads him inside, Mr. Aquarius motioning for Blake to follow. The elder woman sits the Iron Lord down in a chair, before moving and getting the Scout a cup of tea. Blake is given one as well as everyone takes a seat. Shade slips off the chair, opting to sit on the floor. Mr. Aquarius chuckles.

"You still like to sit on the floor, don't you?" The man says, Shade nods, a broken grin on his face.

"I told Blake this, but the Iron lords were fighting an Ancient Grimm." He says, his smile falling. "It looked like a giant turtle, it didn't really have a main attack method, no claws or fangs. It could crush a person though. The biggest threat at first was the many packs of Beowolves, but those were easy to pick off." Shade takes a swig of his tea. "Then the turtle Grimm released some sort of black mist that covered the battlefield. We all had our helmets on at the time, so our air filtration systems were fine. One of the cadets, however, had taken a hit to the mask, so he took it off because he couldn't see. He suffocated to death. Vivian had confirmed it when she checked his vitals. So, imagine our surprise when a few minutes later he stood up and broke the helmet of another cadet. Then the gas killed her, and then a few minutes later she stood up. Vivian checked their vitals, still dead, so how were they standing?" A rueful chuckle fills the room. "The damn gas was actually a parasite that killed the host and took control of the body through the bloodstream." The Scout glances up at the shocked faces of the Aquarius's. "It was by this time that the Ursai, Deathstalkers, and Nevermores showed up. Then more Iron Lords fell, and if the body wasn't damaged too badly, wasn't missing any limbs or too deep of cuts, they would rise again like zombies. Most of the cadets fell at this time, as well as some of the elder Lords that had retired a long time ago. Kuroka decided to have the Vanguard focus on the turtle Grimm, which Celestia called a Necros. The veteran Lords would focus on the Grimm while the elder Lords would take care of the zombies, because even if the bodies were the same, their skills were not. Shiro, Vivian, and I were assisting with the Grimm when one of the zombies figured out how to throw a grenade. It landed at our feet, and the blast sent be flying across the battlefield. The grenade was something akin to a flashbang with a high-powered blast that sent the enemy flying. By the time a regained by senses, Shiro had run forwards and Vivian was keeping the Grimm from fully surrounding him. She didn't even notice the Deathstalker come up behind her until it was too late. I saw it, but my comms broke in the blast, so I ran as fast as I could, moving to throw my glaive when I looked down at it. The weapon that Vivian and I had created was in pieces. With a scowl I threw the pieces away and drew my pistol. I was ten meters from being in range when the Deathstalker put its tail right through her back. She died instantly. Shiro was overwhelmed with a pack of Ursai a few moments later, he got ripped to shreds. I picked up his claymore and took out those Ursai in a raging fury. I then smashed in the skull of that Deathstalker. It was then when the Goliath showed up." A sharp intake of breath echoes through the room. "Yeah, one of those monsters showed up. Kuroka saw that, and ordered the activation of the failsafe systems."

"Failsafe systems?" Blake asks. Shade nods.

"It's a system in our armor, it basically monitors your heartbeat and, if it stops, make the armor detonate." The Scout replies. "A Goliath is hard even for Iron Lords who have access to their aura, so it was basically impossible to defeat one in the Dead Zone. When a Lord knew they was about to die they threw themselves at the Goliath or the zombies. It was effective, didn't leave anything to be turned into a zombie, took out a mass of zombies, or chipped away at the armor of the Goliath. This process took around half-an-hour, before the blasts damaged the Goliath to much internally and it died. We lost practically all of the Veterans and Elders around this time, there were few zombies left so I picked them off. Shiro's sword broke at some point so I grabbed Vivian's split-sword. I meet up with the Vanguard, who had managed to push the Necros back into a cave at the base of the nearby mountain, by this time the mist had disappeared, and we weren't going to let it release more. We followed, but the Vanguard made a plan, and used blasting charges to detonate the roof, causing a collapse. We ran, trying to get to the entrance when a roar echoed through the cave. The Vanguard stopped, nodded, and went back, to make sure the thing died. Luna and I were near the entrance at the time. She looked at me, removed her helmet, and smiled. She gave me her sword, and told me one thing."

"What?" Mrs. Aquarius says, moving to take a seat next to the crying Scout.

"Survive." Shade replies, looking up at everyone. "She told me to survive, before throwing me out of the cave just before it collapsed on top of her." He rubs his eyes quickly. "It was so surreal, looking over the battlefield. The area looked like a volcano went off, fire and the ground blackened. Then everything hit me. I was the only one left. The only survivor of the Iron Lords. I cried, and cried and cried. I honestly don't know how long I cried or why I didn't attract any Grimm. When I regained myself, I picked up Luna's sword, scavenged the area for ammo, weapons, and the like. I tried to use the emergency responder, but it was broken, fairly badly as well. I had no mechanical skills, but I took it, and walked, trying to get to the wall. When I got there, I couldn't even get close enough to escape. There was basically an army of Grimm between me and the exit, which was why we were dropped in. I retreated, making it back to the battlefield and set up camp. I spent the five years scavenging the area, trying to find parts to fix the transponder, and here I am now." Shade looks up at Vivian's parents, his eyes red by gaining a determined light in them. "I survived something people much better didn't. There has to be a reason I survived, and I'm gonna find it." Blake grins slightly.

"Feels good to get everything out, doesn't it?" The Faunus says.

"Don't use my words against me." Shade mutters, a small grin on his face. Blake laughs.

"Now that's out of the way." Mrs. Aquarius says, smiling. "Who's this lovely lady?" Shade rolls his eyes.

"I'm Blake Belladonna, a student at Beacon and member of Team RWBY." Blake says. "Shade's training my team to become the next generation of Iron Lords." The Aquarius's blink.

"Well, you work fast." Mr. Aquarius says. Shade chuckles. The four talk for another hour, before Shade and Blake have to return to Beacon.

"It was nice to see you again." Mrs. Aquarius says, giving Shade and Blake a hug.

"Don't be a stranger son." Mr. Aquarius says, clapping the Scout's shoulder.

"Blake, it was so nice to meet you, please look after Shade. Oum knows what sort of trouble he can get into." Mrs. Aquarius says, a teasing grin on her face. Blake laughs, a teasing grin on her face.

"I'll make sure to keep him out of trouble." She says, smirking. Shade lightly taps his fist against her shoulder.

"I'll see you later." Shade grumbles, a small grin on his face. The two turn and walk back to the airship terminals in silence. Boarding the last airship to Beacon, the two take a seat.

"Hey," Shade says suddenly.

"Yeah?" Blake responds.

"Thanks." He simply replies. Blake grins, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"No problem." She says. The two return to their dorms once the airship lands.

 _(Meanwhile)_

Another tremor rocks the Dead Zone. The cave has a few more rocks fall away. The white glow surrounding the purple hair flickers, as a glowing blue eye opens briefly, before closing again once the white glow returns.

 **A/N: Hopefully I did alright. Never been good with this kind of stuff, so I hope I did alright. See y'all later.**


	10. Season 2 Chapter 1

**Hey all! Welcome to season 2! Things will deviate a lot from the original RWBY episodes this season, and we'll finally get around to training RWBY! Let's do this!**

 **To spark your interest and my own, we have a little trailer, of sorts. Eventually I'll get around to drawing some cover art for this, but until then, enjoy.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Destiny.**_

 _You've traveled the world, done the impossible._

 _You've survived something nobody should have been able to survive._

 _You've moved on, and grown stronger through your hardships and bonds._

 _You've made friends, you've made a new family._

 _But, what happens when your past catches up to you?_

 _Something is stirring in the Dead Zone, unnatural earthquakes rock the area, centered at the final resting place, the Vanguard's Tomb..._

 _Our tomb._

 _Something is coming, and now it's time for us to wake up._

 _Shade, it's time for us to do the impossible, it's time for us to take a page from your tale._

 _It's time... for the Vanguard to return._

 _ **RWBY**_

 _ **Dead Zone**_

 _ **Season 2: Shadows of the Past**_

 _ **"The dead tell no tales,**_

 _ **So, let's tell the tales for them."**_

 **So yeah, that was a thing. Anyways, let's move on, shall we?**

Shade took a seat at the table next to Velvet this time. The girl smiles before returning to her book. It was winter break, around a month and a half since the battle at the docks. The three teams all ate in companionable silence, Yang and Nora throwing food into each other's mouths. Shade looks on with amusement as Ruby enters, lugging a giant binder filled to the brim. The young leader slams the binder onto the table with a slam.

"And done! Guys! This will be the best day ever!" The reaper cries.

"Oh! Hey sis!" Yang says, catching a grape in her mouth. "Where've you been?"

"Guys! The break is almost done! We need to spend the last day as much as we can! So I've taken it on myself to plan it!" Ruby shouts.

"Is that my binder?" Weiss asks.

"I am not a crook!" Ruby says.

"Sounds cool sis!" Yang says, an apple bouncing off her head. Yang glares and throws the apple back. "What's first?" Ruby couldn't answer as a pie hits Weiss in the face. Shade sighs as Nora points to Ren, moving with the rest of CFVY to be out of the line of fire.

 _Meanwhile_

"These guys are like really cool dude!" Sun says, leading a blue haired teen down the walkway. "I mean, like really cool!"

"Cool, cool." The blue haired man says, grinning.

"And great part is that one of them is a Faunus." Sun blurts, before covering his mouth. "But don't tell anyone, alright? That's, like, a super big secret."

"I got it." The man says.

"Neptune, I just don't wanna mess this up!" Sun says, as Glynda appears around the corner, leading what appears to be an older version of Weiss towards the cafeteria. "Just, be cool, okay?"

"Dude." Neptune says, grinning. Sun nods.

"Good point." The monkey-Faunus replies, ignoring the sounds of fighting inside the room. Glynda doesn't, and neither does Winter. "Hey Goodwitch! Who's that?"

"Mr. Wukong. This is Specialist Winter Schnee." Goodwitch says, gritting her teeth as students run out of the mess hall.

"Nice to meet ya!" Sun says, "Why are you here?"

"For Iron Lord Kurogane." Winter replies, raising an eyebrow at a student covered with food running by.

"Oh yeah, Neptune! I forgot to tell you that I know the last Iron Lord!" Sun says, turning to his friend. Neptune nods, playing everything cool.

"Awesome." The Mistralian replies. The two teens rush inside the mess hall, Goodwitch and Winter right behind them.

"I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE! I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE!" Nora shouts, standing atop a fort of tables.

"Justice will served! Justice will be swift! It will be..." Ruby shouts back, crushing a milk carton, "Delicious!" The room erupts into chaos as RWBY and JNPR get into a massive food-fight, most of them somehow finding things to act like their weapons. CFVY and Shade slowly slide towards the teacher as her forehead pops a vein.

"Hey Winter." Shade says. Winter cracks a bemused smile at him, taking in his appearance. An absence of his trademark cloak was noticeable, replaced with a black, full-zip hoodie bearing the same triple arrow insignia on the back. The hoodie was unzipped, revealing a dark green, almost black, form fitting shirt. His black jeans were replaced with black cargo pants, while he still wore the black combat boots. His revolver was holstered on his right thigh, combat knife sheathed under his left forearm, But Not Forgotten was slung across his back while Forgotten Night was in his hand, the blade had evidence of food splattered across it.

"Shade." The woman replies. "Busy morning?" Shade shrugs.

"Your sister took a pie to the face, and then things went south from there." The Iron Lord says, "What are you doing here?"

"We've been cleared by Ironwood to enter the Dead Zone." She replies. CFVY growing silent as they turn to look at their friend. Shade nods. "I will warn you that earthquakes have been rocking the area, the center seems to be the battlefield."

"Of course it is." Shade mutters, "That place won't give me a break, won't it?" Winter grins sheepishly as she nods. "Alright. HEY!" His voice causes RWBY and JNPR to stop instantly, rather comically as Nora seems to defy gravity, somehow floating in midair, just about to smash Yang with Melonhild. "I'm heading out! See ya tomorrow!"

"BYE SHADE!" The eight shout, Ruby using her semblance to give him a big hug before returning to her position.

"Okay, continue." He says, following Winter as the room erupts into chaos once more. "Sorry Goodwitch, let them play a bit, eh?" Glynda sighs. "I'm surprised you didn't reprimand Weiss?"

"Although I may not see her often, I love my sister. I know how strict our father is, so any chance that she has to smile as wide as she was, I will not interfere." The soilder says. Shade nods as the two board her ship, taking off and heading towards the Dead Zone.

 _One hour later._

Winter and Shade walk through the Dead Zone, a large platoon of knights with them. They had landed at Overwatch, boarded a Bullhead, and landed at Shade's camp, which was surprisingly still there. He grabbed a few things he had forgotten and lead the way to the battlefield. Winter gasps in shock as the treeline breaks to reveal what looks like a volcanic surface. The area was black, no plantlife growing as broken pieces of weapons, armor, and flags little the area. Shade ignores everything, moving quickly to where two broken knives lay imbedded into the ground, two broken halves of a bladed shield lay nearby as well.

"Hey Vivian, Shiro." Shade says, reaching into his bag, pulling out a shell casing for each of the makeshift tombstones. "I didn't have time to pick flowers this time around, sorry." A minor earthquake shakes the ground. "I'm guessing that those have been getting pretty annoying, I'll take care of it." Grinning sadly, Shade motions for Winter to follow him as he heads to the cliffside, zeroing in on the collapsed mouth of the cave. A larger quake hits, shifting a few rocks, and a flash of light catches his attention. With a sharp gasp, Shade quickens his pace, Winter nearly having to sprint to keep up with him. "It can't be."

"Shade! What is it?" Winter pants, watching as he moves away some more rocks. The white glow grows stronger when it's revealed to the sunlight, and then Shade sees what he's looking for as he pulls away a decent sized rock, causing most of the outer layer of boulders to fall away. Staring right back at him was the face of Luna Starlight. She looked younger than he remembered, but the white glow surrounding him catches his attention.

"Isn't that...!" Winter exclaims. Shade nods.

"Luna Starlight, my mentor, and surrogate sister." He replies.

"What's that glow?" The soldier asks, moving to stand next to the Iron Lord. Shade doesn't respond. He, instead, opens his scroll and pulls up the Iron Lord roster, looking through the semblances.

"I'm assuming it's Kuroka's semblance." Shade mutters. "I remember learning about it. It's a sort of area stasis semblance centered around her." He looks through, finding Kuroka's semblance. "Yes, here it is, forwarding it to you." Winter's scroll rings as she pulls it out, looking over the documents.

"It says here that she could activate it at will, but it would also activate if she was about to run out of aura." She says, "But this is the Dead Zone, she couldn't activate it period."

"Remember that I adapted to use aura here." Shade says. "Kuroka spent a lot of time here when she was in training, according to Luna. Since Iron Lords are chosen before their aura fully stabilizes, it wouldn't be a surprise if her aura adapted a bit." Winter nods, still in wondered awe. "I just can't believe that she had enough aura to actually activate it. I couldn't even activate my semblance here, and I spent five years here, Kuroka only spent one." Shade's eyes narrow as another quake shakes the area.

"So, how do we deactivate it?" Winter asks. Shade shrugs.

"I'm not really sure, the stasis field was weird," He replies, shaking the cobwebs clear. Now wasn't the time to be distracted by his emotions. Lives were on the line. "Kuroka always said that it had a mind of its own once activated. I'm guessing her subconscious deactivated it. There's only one more complication."

"What?"

"It isn't really a stasis field, it actually makes you younger, for however long you were in the field, you also forget that amount of time leading up to the stasis field." He says. "If the Vanguard woke, they'd remember that they were the Vanguard, but they'd forget the five years leading to the fall, including me, and the Dead Zone." Winter gasps, it was a little-known fact, but how your semblance and aura evolve throughout your life depends on how strong your will is, as well as your experiences in life. "However, if they were shown something that had a significant impact in their life, it would jog their memories. I know Luna's, perhaps Celestia's as well, but Kuroka's is a mystery, I have a guess but can't do anything right now." His eyes grow sharp as the growl of a Beringal echoes through the area. "I'll handle this, call Ironwood, get an excavation team here, and get the Vanguard home." Drawing Forgotten Night, the glaive erupts into fire as he charges the Grimm. The Scout quickly runs through the statistics of a Beringal. Not heavily armored, but can take a beating, insanely strong and fast, grabble moves. Shade spins his glaive, creating a ring of fire as he slashes at the Grimm, leaving scorch marks and cuts, but the Grimm was largely unaffected. Shade grits his teeth as he jumps back, drawing his revolver and unloading, the Beringal shields its face, and then Shade knew he had it. Charging again, the Beringal catches him off guard when it suddenly grabs him and throws him across the area. The Android escort opens fire, and the Beringal begins to plow through them. Shade uses its distraction to his advantage, drawing his knife as lighting surges through him, he quickly checks his aura gauge. _"Ten seconds, more than enough."_ He flies forwards, cutting off the Grimm just before it reached Winter, The Iron Lord spins, cutting off the head with a flash of lightning, just as the ten seconds end. Winter nods in thanks, just as her scroll connects to Ironwood.

"Winter, what is it?" The General asks, Winter doesn't respond, pointing the camera at Luna instead. " _What?!_ Penny, please get Ozpin on the line! How?!"

"Take a look at the semblance and training records of Kuroka Night." Shade says, "We need an excavation team, and a team to take them to Beacon."

"Why Beacon? Surely our medical teams in Atlas could do better." Ironwood says.

"Because I'm at Beacon, and the second they wake I want to be there, and because Beacon is active Iron Lord Headquarters until further notice." Shade says. "It is my duty as Acting Vanguard to bring them to HQ." Ironwood sighs, and nods. "Good, relay everything to Ozpin, I'm staying here tonight with the excavation team, also, send actual soldiers with Goliath busters, we'll need those just in case since they won't have aura." Ironwood nods.

"The teams have already been scrambled. Specialist, call in your Bullhead for shelter and resupply. Have them land there, the miniguns should be of assistance." The General says. Winter nods. "Shade... we'll bring them home." As the bullhead arrives Shade sighs and leans against a boulder.

"I...I can't believe that they've been alive all this time." He says, "I've visited every year, and all this time they've been right underneath my nose, alive." Winter takes a seat next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't want to dig them out, right?" She asks. He nods, his eyes growing dull.

"I already lost Shiro and Vivian, and buried what was left of them. I didn't want to see their bodies." The Scout says. Winter nods, and the two sit in silence, Shade having drawn But Not Forgotten to watch for more Grimm.

The excavation team arrived around midnight, and instantly got to work. The Military set up a temporary outpost. Everyone knew how important this operation was. Shade was seated in the makeshift watchtower.

"Hey." Winter says, climbing up into the tower. "The chief says that they'll probably have them dug out by morning. They've found Celestia, and Kuroka is seen further in." Shade nods. "You should get some sleep."

"Can't." He mutters. "I know I should, but I can't." Winter raises a curious eyebrow. "They were there, for all this time. How didn't I notice?" Winter places a hand on his shoulder.

"You couldn't have." The woman says. Shade nods. "Earlier you said that you knew of what Luna's trigger was, right? What is it?"

"Her sword." He says, "She told me that she'll never give someone her sword, unless she was about to die. So she told me that her memory cue is her sword. Never really gave me the backstory on it though. Celestia's is Vivian, or rather, the picture I have of Shiro, Vivian, and I. She took it when we all passed the Mentor-apprentice trial. Only time I've ever seen Celestia cry. So I think that's her cue." Winter nods.

"Very well, Shade get some sleep, you have training with RWBY at noon tomorrow, right?" At his nod she continues. "I will not have Weiss's training be subpar because you weren't well-rested." Shade snorts, but nods, pulling out a think quilt and bundling up to sleep.

The next day Shade found himself walking off of Winter's ship with three stretchers behind him carrying the Vanguard. The second they had arrived at Beacon Kuroka's semblance had deactivated, but the three women hadn't woken up. The doctors didn't know why they haven't woken, and Shade didn't have any answer as well.

"SHADE!" Ruby's voice echoes through the area, breaking Shade out of his thoughts. The crimson reaper appears in a flurry of rose petals and latches onto her friend. Shade stumbles back in shock while Winter hides a giggle. The rest of RWBY walk up shortly after. "How are you~!" Shade smiles slightly.

"I'm doing alright." He responds while Weiss hugs her sister, before glancing at the stretchers and freezing.

"Shade... is that...?" The heiress asks. The Scout nods.

"Indeed." He says, gesturing to the Vanguard. "Girls, this is the Vanguard, my mentors."

"H-how?" Yang mutters. Shade shrugs.

"Kuroka has a strange semblance..." He mutters. "It's a stasis-type semblance." RWBY nod in understanding.

"How long until they wake?" Blake asks, Winter shrugs.

"Unknown." Shade mutters. "Winter, could you make sure they get to the infirmary?" At her nod he continues. "Weiss, introduce your sister to your teammates before we head off to training." The girl nods.

"Winter, these are my teammates." Weiss starts. "My team leader and partner, Ruby Rose."

"Hi!" Ruby says, "Weiss is like my BFF!" Ruby finishes off by giving her partner a big hug, in which Weiss huffs with a small smile.

"Blake Belladonna, a good friend." The white-haired girl continues.

"I'm also a Faunus," Blake says, twitching her bow. Winter smiles.

"Good job on diversity." The soldier says, nodding to Blake. "Ironwood told me about you, former Fang? As long as you're not a current member then we'll be fine." Blake nods with a small smile.

"And finally, Yang Xiao-Long, the brute." Weiss says with a grin.

"Hey!" Yang says while everyone laughs.

"Yang's actually a great friend, and punching bag." Shade says, and Yang huffs. Winter grins.

"It's nice to see that my sister has made such great friends." Winter says. "I'm Winter Schnee, Weiss's sister." A chorus of greetings follow. "Now, I must take my leave. I'll get the Vanguard into medical care and report in to Ozpin. Have fun training." Shade nods as he leads RWBY away and towards the nearby forest.

"Why are we going into the forest?" Ruby asks, Shade shrugs.

"It's easier to train in a more natural environment, and so nobody disturbs us." The Scout replies. Finding a large enough clearing, he gestures for the girls to take a seat. "Okay, so I can honestly say that I'm no professional teacher, and I'm certainly not qualified to teach anyways, but I'm going to train you to be the best, in my standards. Firstly, Iron Lords are split into three combat roles, could one of you tell me what those roles are?" Weiss raises her hand and the Scout nods to her.

"Guardians, Scouts, and Supporters." The heiress responds. Shade nods.

"Yes, now first order of business is to assign those roles to each of you. Now, I can tell you outright what roles you'd be suited for, but it's much easier, and essential, for you to analyze your own strengths to find out what kind of role you are. It's acceptable to talk to your friends about it as well." He says, and the girls turn to talk among themselves. "But take head, whatever you choose as your combat role, you cannot change, and you will be trained as such." The four girls nod, and talk among themselves.

"I can say that I'm a Scout." Blake says, and her teammates look to her.

"How do you know?" Ruby asks.

"Well, think about it for a second." Weiss says. "Blake doesn't go in and take a beating to deliver one. She pops in and pops out, catching the enemy off guard before getting outside their own reach." Ruby makes a small 'oh'.

"Yeah, the tanking should be left to me." Yang says, punching her fists together. "My semblance allows me to take hits and deal double the damage back." Ruby nods in agreement.

"I guess I'll take the Support then." Weiss says. "Since I'm more of a dust-mage than an actual fighter, I can utilize my knowledge better to support and attack from afar." Everyone turns to Ruby, who was thinking hard. Suddenly she turns to Shade.

"Shade?" The young leader asks. The Iron Lord nods to her. "You're my friend, right?" Another nod is sent her way. "You said we could ask our friends for help on the decision, so I'm asking you as a friend." The rest of RWBY blink, while Shade bursts out laughing.

"Indeed, you can!" He says, chuckling. "I was wonder if one of you would catch that!" Yang, Blake, and Weiss all look to one another with a shocked look. "Ruby, this is why you're the leader, you catch things most won't. Ruby, with your speed and weapon, it makes a tough choice. Most large weapons are a Guardian's preferred weapon. However, your speed makes you more of a Scout, as well as your sniping." He then turns to the rest of RWBY. "You three were spot on with your choices. Yang, your semblance basically means that you were destined to be a tank, Weiss, your skill with your blade is unparalleled, but you rely on the dust chamber more-so, making you a perfect Support. Blake, while your clones are every Guardian's dream, your combat style is more suited to a Scout. Good work you four." Shade stands from the rock he was sitting on. "Yang, Weiss, I will warn you that I cannot train you two fully. I am a Scout, and was trained by a Scout. I did pick up a few things from Kuroka, Shiro, Celestia, and Vivian, but I'm not fully trained in the other roles. Best case, I train you the best I can and when the Vanguard wakes I'll see if they can train you further. Ruby, Blake, your styles are similar but your weapons aren't. I can train both of you, but it will be easier for Ruby because of how similar Forgotten Night is to Crescent Rose. Gambol Shroud is a weapon that I can teach techniques to, but when Luna wakes up, she'll had an easier time teaching you than I would." Both girls nod. "Okay, first lesson. Grimm. I'm sure you all know about the Grimm, but can you tell me the weak points of a Beringal?" Ruby's hand shoots up.

"A Beringal doesn't have think armor, but its muscle mass makes up for in with elasticity. It can take a lot of hits without getting damaged. The easiest way to kill one is to pierce their eyes, straight into the brain. If you can get past their reach though." The reaper says. Shade nods, and continues to quiz the girls on the known types of Grimm. Suddenly, he looks out on the four.

"Alright, does anyone know the weakness of a Goliath?" He asks. The four girls grow silent, looking to each other in shock at the question.

"You think we might go up against a Goliath?" Yang squeaks. Ruby looks pale, and Weiss looks like she'll faint. Blake understands the question, knowing that the Iron Lords fought a Goliath in the Dead Zone.

"You need to be ready for anything." He replies.

"There-There isn't a real weakness on a Goliath." Weiss says, regaining her composure. Shade shakes his head.

"There is one," He says, shocking the girls. "The internal organs." The girls gasp in surprise.

"But you'd need to get through the armor to get to the organs, right?" Ruby questions. The Scout shakes his head again.

"No, what are the three things the make up an explosion?" He asks Yang, the pyrotechnic of the team. Yang thinks for a second.

"Well, the instantaneous combustion," She starts, "Making fire, heat, and a..." Her eyes glint in realization. "A shockwave." Shade nods as the rest of RWBY begin to understand.

"Grimm armor protects from physical blows," Blake muses. "So a shockwave and intense heat would practically boil the innards of a Grimm." Shade nods.

"That's how you take down a Goliath," He says. "Unless you have a bunkerbuster on hand, or a tactical nuke, the only way to take down a Goliath is from the inside out." RWBY nod in understanding. "Good, now that the Grimm theory is out of the way, it's time to go onto personal theory. First thing's first, semblance flaws, I assume you know the limits of your own semblances?" The girls think for a second, before Weiss and Blake nod, but Ruby and Yang don't. "Okay, I'll give an example, since it's important for you to realize your own flaws. My semblance is something I'm going to call ArcBlade. It gives me a huge power boost while giving my weapon an electric charge, sounds pretty cool, right?" Yang and Ruby nod, "However, every semblance has a downside, mine is that it drains my aura at an alarmingly fast rate. I can only use ArcBlade for a minute before I'm out of aura. Then, and this is my theory, the semblance will start to actually consume my soul." The entirety of RWBY gasps in shock. "We'll discuss that tidbit later. Weiss, Blake, care to share your semblance and its flaws?" Weiss snaps out of it first.

"Of course, My semblance is glyphs, and depending on the color and shape, they can do different things, even summoning, though I haven't gotten there yet." The heiress says, "The size of my glyphs are determined by how much I can move my hands, and I need to focus on them to keep them active, and after a while my energy will be drained if I use it to much." Shade nods in agreement before turning to Blake, who sighs and glares at the Iron Lord.

"We're talking about that later, right?" She growls, Shade nods. "Good, my semblance is Shadow Clones, I flash a few meters away from my previous position, leaving a shadow to take a hit. I can use it to propel myself forward. The downsides are that I can only use it once while midair, and that the clones aren't physical, so a wide area attack could still hit me." Ruby and Yang nod, thinking about their own semblances.

"My semblance is speed." Ruby quips. "I can run super-fast, or use it to make the world seem very slow, I use it in Oobleck's class a lot." Everyone chuckles. "The only problem is that when I'm using it, it's hard to turn and see things around me, it's a tunnel vision. And as I get closer to the speed of sound I start to black out." Shade grins, showing the girl that he had observed the same.

"Yang?" Blake asks.

"My semblance takes the hits I receive and doubles the damage I deal back." She says. "The energy it gives off makes my hair catch fire, and turns my eyes red. The downsides, is that it requires me to get hit for it to work, it needs my aura to take the damage, so if I'm out of aura, or against someone who's semblance negates aura, it's ineffective." Shade nods, agreeing with her.

"Now, here's why I had you say this." He says, looking to everyone. "Your semblance is a reflection of yourselves, as many believe. The flaws of your semblance accent the flaws of yourself, and as you grow and change as a person, your semblance does as well." He looks out over his friends. "You are a team, and as such, you need to know the weaknesses of your comrades so you can use your own strengths to cover their weaknesses. This keeps people from dying." RWBY nods as Shade stands. Checking his watch, he nods, a small grin. "Congratulations on passing your first class. We'll meet here after dinner in two days." The girls nod, standing and following Shade out. He quickly moves away from the dormsaway from the dorms, heading towards the infirmary. RWBY shrug, following him through the halls. He knocks first, before entering the infirmary. The five are surprised to see professor Ozpin there, but quickly nod to the man. "What's their status?"

"They're in a comatose state." The headmaster says. "Medical says that they have brain activity, but it's unknown when, or if they'll wake up."

"They'll wake up." Shade says, firmly. "They have to." Blake rests her hand on his shoulder, and the rest of RWBY piles in, giving their friend some comfort.

"Of course they will." Blake says, and Ozpin smiles.

"Well will do everything in our power to find a way to wake them up." The aged headmaster says. Shade nods.

"Alert me if they wake?"

"You'll be the first to now."

 **A/N:** **Alright! End of season 2, Shadows of the Past, let's have some fun shall we?**

 **Sorry if the chapter seems rushed, but I just started the original idea phase for the story and need some time to get back into the swing of things.**

 **Bye!**


	11. Season 2 Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry everyone for how long this took. I lost my muse for a bit. I had come to the realization that I haven't seen Vol. 2 since it came out and I was severely lacking in the memory department. So, this chapter is mostly original. Sorry guys.**

 **Quick question before I start. I was thinking about the Vytal tournament. I was thinking of turning team SSSN into an international team, Neptune from Mistral, Sun from Vacuo, Shade from Vale, and someone from Atlas, probably an OC. I now the fights aren't for another season, but I want to get that in the planning stages if possible. Before you ask, yes, the Vanguard will be Shade's unofficial team since they were de-aged to be twenty-twenty one. But since all four of them together would literally be the most over powered team in existence, I wouldn't permit them to actually take part in the tournament. (The team name is SLCK or SLiCK)**

 **Without further delay, onwards to the story.**

 _RWBY Deadzone: Season 2: Chapter 2: The way of the Lords._

Shade stares out over the city from the edge of the cliffs as the Atlesian Air Fleet rolls on by. He was lost in his own mind, thoughts of the past dragging him in and out of memories.

"I thought I'd find you here." Blake's voice echoes out. Shade grunts in response. "What's on your mind?" The Faunus takes a seat next to her friend, staring out at the city while waiting.

"It's nothing." The Iron Lord replies.

"Bull." Blake says bluntly. "I don't believe you. You know better than to lie to me. Start talking.

"It's the Vanguard." He says, after a few moments of silence. "I think there's something I need to do to trigger their awakening."

"What?" Blake asks, her burning amber eyes finally looking over to his electric green ones.

"I don't know. Kuroka's semblance has always been a mystery because of how little she used it. I doubt the explanation on the records are the complete summary of it." Shade sighs in frustration. Blake hums in thought.

"I know, but something lead to you finding them. We just trust that that thing will lead us to the answer to this riddle." She says. Shade nods, and her face shifts into a scowl. "So, about your semblance consuming your soul." Her voice turns into a growl, and Shade instantly fears for his life.

"Yeah!" Yang suddenly appears next to Blake, Ruby and Weiss not far behind. Shade sighs and looks around, finding Ozpin and Goodwitch not far off as well.

"It's just a theory, but my semblance actively turns my innate defensive power into a purely offensive form. It turns the direct manifestation of my soul into an offensive power. I can only assume that if I run out of Aura, the semblance will just turn to the source for fuel." He says.

"So just don't use it when you run out of Aura then." Ruby says. Weiss and Blake lightly scoff while Shade grins weakly at her.

"It's not that simple Ruby." He says. "Our enemies won't just let us rest and regenerate our auras if it runs out. They'll strike when we're weak. There may come a time when I may face a decision to save someone my using my semblance even when I lack aura, or save myself and watch them die. I wouldn't even hesitate." RWBY is silent for a few moments.

"You'd sacrifice yourself to save another?" Weiss says quietly.

"Gladly." Shade says. "Girls, I've been living on stolen time. If the reaper calls the debt due, I'll embrace it with a smile. Every Iron Lord that died that day died with a smile on their face. Our duty is to protect the people, putting their lives over our own. If we have no energy to fight, we take tomorrow's energy and go beyond our limits as long as it means we can save one more life." RWBY is silent again as Shade's eyes finally turn fully from the city. "That is why I chose to train you four. Not because you're a powerhouse team, or the fact that one of you is a Schnee, or the fact that two of you are related to Qrow the reaper, or the fact that one of you is the daughter of the chieftain of Menagerie. I chose you four because deep down you all chose to help people as huntresses. If there was any requirement to being an Iron lord it is the willingness to self-sacrifice to save others." His eyes glow with power and wisdom honed from grief and strife. "So girls, I want you to tell me. If you could save the life of another at the cost of your own, would you die with a smile on your face?" With that, he leaves them, heading towards Ozpin and Goodwitch. The three converse for a few moments, before they make their way to Ozpin's office.

"I would." Ruby says quietly after a few moments. Her team turns to her. "I mean, sure. Imagining that you're the unbeatable hero is great but when it all comes down to it. A huntress is a guardian willing to give her life for the cause. My mom did, and if I die saving people I'll be sure to die with a Oum damned grin on my face." Yang chuckles.

"I still don't have the answers I want to find." The brawler says. "I haven't found Raven, and don't have my answers. But finding my Mother doesn't matter. I had a great mom, don't need to worry about it. I'll be sure to go out with a grin as well."

"Me too." Weiss mutters. "All my life my father has tried to raise me to be the perfect daughter. To be selfish, uncaring, but that's not who I am. I am a Huntress, and I'll make sure I'm smiling if I die."

"I've made many mistakes." Blake mutters. "Staying in the White Fang led to many of them. Some were not trusting my friends and team." At that, her friends smile as Ruby moves to the other side of the Faunus to give Blake a hug that the rest join in soon after. "But those mistakes lead to something great, I have a new family. You guys, JNPR, Shade, even Sun and Neptune. All my life I've known discrimination, and never took the chance to go out and find my place in the world. If I'm going to go out, I'll go out with a wide smile on my face because I wouldn't have had my life any other way." The Faunus hugs her team back, and RWBY stays that way for a few minutes, looking out over the city. The rumble of an airship flying overhead ruins the moment as all four glance up to the Fleet above.

"Something is coming." Weiss mutters. "Ironwood never travels to another kingdom during the Festival unless it's serious. I just hope that whatever happens, we'll be ready for it."

"We will be." Ruby says, her normally cherry voice deepened with wisdom few knows she possesses. "Shade is training us, and if what Blake told us about what he said to Ironwood and Ozpin when getting the docks mission cleared in true. They'll strike sometime during the festival."

"Indeed." Weiss says. "Ironwood released the update of the CCT OS. It's more efficient than ever and more reliable."

"They're also starting the construction of the Kingdom only servers so that even if the international system is down we still have comms with everyone in Vale." Blake says. "It makes you wonder, what could've happened if Shade wasn't rescued." RWBY nods, and then the four stand up to move back to the school.

"We can't rest, but we can now take things at our own pace." Yang says. "Torchwick and the Fang won't wait around for graduation, but I think we're finally a step ahead of them."

"Yeah! Okay! Now that the heavy stuff is out of the way you guys wanna play Kingdoms of Remnant?" Ruby says. The three nod. Ruby thinks for a second. "OH NO! I LENT IT TO JAUNE!"

"We're doomed." Weiss says as Ruby rushes off. A loud impact sounds when she turns the corner and the young leader bounces back into view. "Ruby!"

"Sorry." A mint-haired girl says. "I wasn't watching were I was going." Ruby chuckles sheepishly as the girl helps her up.

"Don't worry about it, I wasn't watching my steps as well." The reaper says. She looks over the two before her. The mint-haired girl had red eyes, while a silver haired male had grey eyes and was taller. "I haven't seen you two around? Here for the Festival?"

"Visitors from Haven Academy actually." A raven-haired woman with golden eyes says as she steps up. "We got turned around on our way to the dorms."

"Oh! Simple mistake! I still need to look at the map to find my way most of the time! Let's see, guest dorms are to the... East side of the school. The landing pads are to the direct north so you were heading that way actually. Just keep the CCT to your right and it should lead you to the general area. We have signs posted for each school so you'll find your way from there."

"Good to know." Cinder Fall says. "Thanks." The three make their way past RWBY.

"Oh! And welcome to Beacon!" Ruby shouts after them. After they're out of earshot, the reaper scowls. "I don't like the feeling those three give off. Let's go find Shade." Yang blinks in confusion as Ruby makes her way to the CCT.

"What?" Weiss asks, "Ruby, that's borderline rude."

"That black-haired woman shares an uncanny resemblance to the woman Goodwitch and I fought on the day we met, I want to make sure." Ruby says. "Shade hap pulled me aside a few days ago and had been teaching me tactics and instincts. That girl gives me the creeps and my instincts were to draw my blade or run away. I want to speak to Shade." The girls buzz Ozpin's office.

 _Meanwhile._

Shade had followed Goodwitch and Ozpin into the CCT, making small chatter with his blonde instructor on the state of things.

"Ozpin!" James Ironwood exclaims when the three enter the office. "So good to see you again old friend.

"It is indeed James." Ozpin says, a smile on his face.

"And Glynda! It certainly has been a long time." Ironwood says, a flirtatious grin on his face.

"James." Goodwitch says, while Shade snickers.

"Vanguard. How're the others holding up?" Ironwood quickly turns to Shade as the two shake hands.

"They're stable, that's the most we could ask for at the moment. Something is holding them asleep, I just need to study Kuroka's semblance to figure out what." The Scout says. Ironwood nods. "Could I ask you to post some scouts at ground zero? Just some AK-130s should be fine. Have them explore the cave."

"I'll get on that." Ironwood says.

"Thanks General." Shade says.

"So, James," Ozpin starts. "What brings you all the way down to Vale? Headmasters don't normally travel with their students."

"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year." Ironwood says. Ozpin sighs.

"James." The aged headmaster says. Ironwood sighs.

"Extra security." The General says.

"It could excite painic." Ozpin argues back.

"If what Qrow said-" James starts.

"If what Qrow says is true, then we will handle it tactically." Ozpin says. "We cannot disrupt the fragile peace."

"If I may?" Shade asks, when the two nod he continues. "I think that bringing the fleet could be good. I know you three know what really is going on, but Torchwick's boss is most likely disguised as a student, and if they're as insane as you three hint at, will try to take this opportunity to make Atlas look bad when they take over. Think about it, if the world doesn't trust the strongest military, how can they trust each other? We just have to turn it against them." Ozpin and Ironwood think for a second, before nodding. "Good. Now, we still need to prepare for every contingency. But if the fight will be here, it is unnecessary for Qrow the Reaper to be out spying for whatever organization you three are a part of. We could use the added protection. Keep Winter posted here as well. I may not know of this grand scheme you three know of, but I am able to think tactically with the information I have best. Ozpin, it is good to think of the people in order to not incite panic, but that just gives our enemy more time to come up with a plan without pressure. On the flip side, Ironwood, while bringing the fleet is a show of strength, it also is a show of force that the Fang can rally against. The White Fang dislike almost anyone from Atlas on principle, so bringing the entire military is sure to rile up the local Fang. That can also cause more panic, but in all honesty, those AK-130s aren't exactly a substitute for real, highly trained people. The reason they're effective in Atlas is because the cold climate is a natural buffer for Grimm, making any Grimm there sacrifice speed for insulation. Bring in some hunters, because even to the trainee hunters, those bots are a joke. Luna used them for target practice and training to clear out Beowulf packs." The General nods, writing down things in a notepad while Ozpin does the same.

"I can't say I didn't miss the minds of an Iron Lord. The training that goes into them so that they may survive for years at a time without returning to the city enables them to see things many others cannot." Glynda mutters, and Shade grins at her.

"Living in the Deadzone helps a tad, doesn't it?" He asks, and the three chuckle.

"Indeed it does." Ozpin says. "James, I am glad you're here for another matter. I would like to induct Mr. Kurogane into the Guardians.

"But Ozpin, his age." James says, but one could tell he was honestly thinking about the proposal as well.

"We have already learned that despite his physical age, he is wiser beyond his years." The aged headmaster says. "It would do him well to learn everything, perhaps he can see things we have overlooked." James nods in agreement. "Glynda?"

"You'll have no arguments from me. It is better than considering that Nikos girl." Goodwitch huffs. "I like Pyrrha, but she relies too much on her semblance for her to be of any use. Shade is a great choice because of his training and experience." The mentioned Scout was completely lost.

"Good, I've talked to Qrow already in his last report, he's good with it. Taiyang is actually on his way to visit his daughters and has heard a lot about him so he's given the clear as well." Ozpin mutters. "Very well. Mr. Kurogane, what do you know of the tale of the four maidens?"

"The tale where four girls meet an old wizard, keep him company, and he gives them powers over the seasons? Enough." Shade says. Ozpin opens his mouth to speak, but the buzzer rings out. He opens the camera to see team RWBY waiting to be let into the office.

"We will discuss this further later." Ozpin says. Shade nods. RWBY enters, and Shade grins at the steely face on Ruby, before realizing that something has happened and quickly moves to speak with his students.

"SITREP." He says.

"We ran into a team from Haven." Weiss says. "Ruby says that one of them gave her the creeps."

"My gut was telling me to either draw my blade or run away as fast as possible." Ruby says. "A month ago I would have ignored it, but you've been teaching me about instincts, and I want to run it by you."

"A bad feeling about some students." Ironwood asks, "I would scoff at that, but if the Vanguard has told you to trust your gut we better listen to it."

"Miss. Rose." Ozpin starts. "Who was this student?"

"She didn't tell me her name. But she was as tall as Blake, similar hair color, and had golden eyes, like to girl Professor Goodwitch and I fought. I have the same feeling about her as I did back then, but this time I know to listen to it."

"Oz, could you search the database to match the description?" Ironwood asks. Ozpin nods.

"Perhaps Ruby could do it herself? Her semblance is speed, so she could search the data almost instantly, we'd find out right here and now." Ozpin thinks, before pulling up the file and motioning Ruby to start.

"Only the student files, nothing else." The headmaster warns, Ruby nods. The files start flying by before Ruby stops at one.

"Here she is." Ruby says.

"Cinder Fall." Ozpin says. "James, forward this to Qrow along with a recall order. Perhaps this might give us the edge we need."

"On it." Ironwood says, leaving the office to do so.

"Common girls, we need some sleep." Shade says, leading RWBY behind Ironwood.

"Mr. Kurogane, the second you wake tomorrow, be here. We need to finish that discussion." Ozpin says. Shade nods, as the doors close.

 **A/N: So I'm done, and I'm gonna explain some things in this chapter.**

 **Before I get complaints about Shade being all-knowing, here's the counterarguments. Ozpin and Ironwood's reactions to the treat of Cinder are the Extreme right and the Extreme left. One is to do virtually nothing but gather information, and we saw how that went out in the show, the other is to pit overwhelming forces at the enemy, but that wouldn't allow you to gather more information. When I saw the episode containing that argument between Ironwood and Ozpin, I instantly thought of a middle-ground. Tactics I've honed from experience and observation. I noticed that Blake said the White Fang wouldn't work with a human, especially one like Torchwick. So I wondered why they were until I joined ROTC. They were forced to work together by some higher power.**

 **It's the same for the CCT, yes, we saw Cinder hack the CCT in season two, but didn't know about the actual system until season three's WoR episode about it. As someone who wants to go into computer science, I saw the flaws of the CCT instantly, and it was explained a few chapters back.**

 **To explain why Shade is able to notice these things ties into why Glynda thinks he should join the Guardians. Every OC I create has some aspect of my own personality, to make it easier for me to write them. Shade has my observation skills and the ease to find extremes. With those two combined, it creates someone who can gather information and speculate on it, finding many scenarios for the same thing so they may plan for all of them.**

 **However, it would be god-moding Shade to just give him these skills. I learned these skills from past mistakes and carelessness. Shade did as well, and learned them from his training. As I've said before, the Iron Lords were the best of the best, able to go out for years a time without returning to the city to restock. With a world as dangerous as Remnant, you'd need to have a tactical mindset and good observation skills to survive that long. Look at season 4, how many times did RNJR almost die before they actually decided to observe the situation and thing tactically? In the battle with Tyrian they had to be saved by Qrow, and the final battle nearly had them dying before they observed the Nuckalave(if I misspelled that, oh well.) and found its weaknesses and worked as a team, devising a plan and caring it out.**

 **So that's my rant, sorry everyone. If I've missed something, or you see something that rubs you wrong, go ahead and review. I enjoy criticism because it gives me room to grow. However, flames will not be tolerated. The argument of don't like, don't read is weak, but the only argument needed because y'all don't have to read this, so why force yourself to read something you don't like. Just don't spam up the reviews with flames on your way out, because Flames will be counteracted with extreme prejudice.**

 **So that's it. Cya!**


	12. Season 2 Chapter 3

**A/N: Alrighty, short A/N for this chapter.**

 **I've been listening to music while writing, a common thing. My mind wonders sometimes on songs. I'm going into game design and development, so I often think about animating my stories...**

 **Y'all can see where this is going. If Dead Zone was actually a show, season 2's opening song would be Thousand Foot Krutch's "Untraveled Road". So yeah, see y'all at the end of the chapter.**

 **BTW! If you see any grammatical or typos, please let me know! I usually only finish writing and post soon afterwards, mainly late at night, so any help in that sense is appreciated. I do not need a beta-reader, partially because I've had bad experiences with them in the past. So yeah, onwards.**

 _I do not own RWBY or Destiny._

The second Shade woke, he had freshened up and returned to Ozpin's office. Being allowed to enter, he surveys the room. Ozpin was at his desk, with Goodwitch behind him. Ironwood was in a chair slightly forwards and to the side of Ozpin's desk. Leaning on the desk was a blond man with blue eyes. Instantly Shade realized that it was Taiyang Xiao-Long, Ruby and Yang's father.

"Mr. Kurogane." Ozpin says, as the windows dim. "Welcome back. This is Taiyang Xaio-Long, from Patch." Shade nods to him. "Now, I believe we've left off on the story of the maidens?" Shade nods again. "What if I told you that it has a certain degree of truth to it?" Shade raises an eyebrow.

"I'd either call you crazy and shoot myself or demand an explanation." He says, much to Taiyang's amusement. Ozpin smiles.

"The story of the maidens holds an amount of truth." Ozpin says. "In fact, it mostly is the truth. The Maidens are real, and their powers are as well. That is where the Guardians come into things."

"I was just about to ask that." Shade says. Ozpin nods.

"You see, there are others who know of the Maidens, and they aren't peaceful in any way." Ozpin says, before Ironwood takes over.

"They've already hunted down the Fall Maiden, and nearly stole her power, she is currently in a comatose state, but in a secure location." Ironwood says.

"A maiden passes on her powers to the last person she thinks of when she dies, you can see how that can be problematic." Ozpin says, and Shade nods. "Those who are tracking the Maidens have one master, an evil woman named Salem, who was given the powers to control the Grimm."

"I'm guessing that has something to do with the Deity Brothers." Shade states, and Ozpin nods.

"Indeed." The headmaster says. "Shade, we cannot say anymore without a unanmious vote to allow you into the Guardians, I hope you understand the weight of what you've been told?"

"I take it to my grave." Shade responds. "Good day, Mr. Xaio-Long, shall I lead you to your daughters?" Taiyang nods as the two leave the office.

"Let us refrain from contacting Lionheart about this." Ironwood says. "While I trust the man, Cinder Fall is from Haven, and if Miss Rose's instincts are right, Leo might be compromised." Ozpin nods in agreement.

"Then we wait for Qrow to return." The headmaster says. Ironwood nods.

"I would like to induct Specialist Schnee into the Guardians as well." The General says, "But that could be a conversation for another day."

"We shall think on it. We both know that Qrow would hate that." Ozpin returns with an amused grin. Glynda snorts.

"Heavens forbid that those two be in the same kingdom as each other." Glynda grins. The two nod.

 _Meanwhile_

Shade had led Taiyang to RWBY's dorm. Forgoing the knock, the Iron Lord had slipped out a small, flat device. Quickly sliding it under the door, the Scout gives an evil grin.

"GRENADE!" He shouts, and a loud bang echoes from RWBY's room. Taiyang raises an eyebrow as Blake calmly exits the room, specialized earmuffs over her Faunus ears, she grins cheekily at Shade while Yang stumbles out, Weiss looked furious. Ruby just yawned.

"Hey girls." Taiyang says. Yang and Ruby turn to him and blink comically, not registering him being there.

"Hey Dad." The two say, moving back into the room.

"Three….Two….One." Shade counts down.

"DAD!" Two voices echo as Shade smirks. Two blurs tackle the blond man. The Iron Lord grins before moving to his room.

"I'll see you four for training at noon, usual spot. Try to avoid our hunch if need be." He says, walking away.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asks.

"I need some sleep. I was up late and need some rest." Shade yawns. Blake seemingly warps next to him.

"I wanna read since today is an off day, your room is quiet." She mutters. Shade shrugs non-caringly.

"Sometimes I swear you two are dating!" Yang calls after them. A flying pencil smacks her in the forehead. "Hey!"

"Shuddup! You're just mad because I don't let you in because you're too loud." Shade grunts. Yang huffs with mock anger while Ruby giggles and Weiss grins. "Besides, anyone who dates Blake should consider themselves lucky! I sure don't have that kind of luck." Blake blushes while Yang's eyes widen. "Ah screw it. I'm tired and have no mind to mouth filter." Shade disappears around the corner, a still blushing Blake not far behind. Yang's expression morphs into a smirk.

"I think we've found the one who lights the spark in the resident Lord's heart." Weiss muses, a grin on her face.

 _In Shade's dorm._

"You do whatever you want." Shade mumbles, falling onto his bed. Blake nods, a blush still on her face. Soft snores fill the room, as Blake takes a seat in the only chair. She releases a small purr as she slides into the gaming chair. Pulling out _The Third Crusade,_ the last edition Tuskson had in stock, she slides into reading. Lost in her world, her mind wonders absent mindedly, until she realizes that it is rather pointless to read. Bookmarking the page, she looks around the room. Her eyes fall onto the pictures Shade had set up. She smiles softly while looking over the one of Luna and her friend. She knew why Shade was tired. He had spent the night at the infirmary, monitoring the Vanguard and researching their conditions. She looks over the one of Shades original fireteam, a grin on her face. That grin slowly turns into confusion at the slight of a third. It was a picture of RWBY and Shade, or RWBYS as Ruby would say. It apparently was taken by Sun after a long Friday. The five were in the common room just lounging around, and Yang had just told a rather awful joke and Shade had started laughing at the awkward silence. RWBY had joined in, and Sun took the picture when Blake and Yang slumped over onto Shade while Ruby and Weiss clung to each other to keep their balance. Everyone's faces had bright smiles. Blake grins softly as she turns to her friend. Shade's back was to her, so she lightly smiles before she returns to her book, her smile never leaving her face.

 **Short chapter, but I wanted to get this out!**

 **Next chapter will have some fun!**


	13. Season 2 Chapter 4

**Sorry for the shortened last chapter. This chappie will be fun.**

 _Base on the Vanguard's Tomb._

A team of exploration excavators traverse the cave of the Vanguard's tomb.

"Recess-1, take the left corridor." The squad-leader says. The group splits off. "Remember, we have orders to explore these caves, to try to find the nest that Necros thing came from."

"Roger." The team says. Recess-1 grumbles to himself.

"I didn't wanna come to this freak place." He says, before stumbling over a rock. "It's unnatural." The cave grows pitch-black, and the explorer stumbles with his flashlight. Little did he know that he had long since left the Dead Zone, the caves stretching for miles underneath the Wall. He flicks on the flashlight just as he trips over another rock. His flashlight falls from his hand and falls into a deep pit below. The cave is flooded with a demonic red light. Recess-1 stares in horror as a giant Grimm's eye's open, the yellow iris's staring directly at him. A black mist surrounds him, and the man screams in pain as the parasites painfully take over his mind while the Necros roars in defiance.

- _Beacon Academy, five hours later.-_

Shade was overseeing RWBY sparring with each-other. Yang was teaching Ruby hand-to-hand combat techniques while Weiss was practicing on fighting a fast target like Blake. He glances down to a stopwatch he had.

"And time!" The Scout shouts, and the four still. "Good work you four." He tosses the four water bottles. "Take a breather while I debrief you." The four collapse on the ground, and Shade grins.

"First of all, good job Ruby. You're picking this up faster than I expected. A few more lessons and then all you'd need is some experience. I'd suggest talking to Ren for further training suitable to your body-type." Shade says, and Ruby grins happily. "Weiss, your reaction times have improved, probably something you've picked up from Ruby and Blake. Your casting time is also much faster, so keep it up. Blake, you're doing good on stamina, work with Yang tomorrow on some power moves. Yang, you're good on strength, but work with Blake on speed." The group nods.

"Shade!" Winter's voice cuts through the forest. The Iron Lord instantly is alert.

"Yes?" The Scout asks, alert and ready.

"We have a situation. Report to Ozpin's office now." The elder Schnee says, and Shade breaks off into a sprint after her.

"RWBY, you're dismissed!" The Iron Lord says, fading from view. The two make their way into the CCT tower and catch their breath in the elevator. "What's the situation?" He asks as soon as the doors open. He ignored the presence of Qrow the reaper, and stares directly at Ozpin.

"Our base in the Dead Zone has come under attack." Ironwood says, as a holographic image of the burning base appears. "Initial reports state that the base was flooded with a black mist, and then people started screaming in pain. A few moments later those people turned on their comrades."

"That sounds like…." Shade whispers.

"Survivors say that there was a turtle-like grim in the mouth of the cave." Ironwood continues.

"A Necros." Shade says, his eyes narrowing. "How sure are we on this?"

"One hundred percent." Ironwood says. "The caves stretch outside the Dead Zone, so we can't locate the Necros."

"Mr. Kurogane." Ozpin says. "I'm assigning this to you, at Ironwood's discretion." James nods. "What do you need?"

"I want a small team, no more than six." He says. "Iron Lords generally operate in teams of three or six. I need a Dust-mage, perhaps two. A heavy fighter, and two more speed types.

"I'll volunteer," Winter says, and Ironwood raises an eyebrow. "Shade has become a good friend of my sister, and I wish to help him in return." James nods.

"Very well then." The general says. Winter nods.

"I'll go." Taiyang says. "This guy is training my girls, I want to see his skills." Shade grins slightly at the man. Ozpin nods.

"I'll go." Goodwitch states. Nothing was said after that, and nothing was needed to.

"If we're considering this kid, I need to see his skills as well." Qrow speaks. "I'll go."

"Thank you Mr. Branwen." Shade says. Qrow grunts, taking a swig.

"As much as Ozpin and I would like to assist, we cannot abandon our students, especially when the assignments approaching." James sighs. Qrow thinks for a second.

"I may… have someone. You'd need to come with me to meet her but maybe she'll help us." The reaper says. "I can't say for certain, and she may just try to kill you on sight, she's…. not the most pleasant of people."

"Who do you have in mind?" Shade asks.

"My sister and Yang's mother." Qrow says, his red eyes glinting. "Raven Branwen." A sharp intake of breath fills the room. Shade narrows his eyes.

"Why would Tribe Leader Raven help us, especially after she abandoned the huntsmen world?" The Iron Lord asks. Qrow shrugs.

"Raven may act otherwise, but she cares for this world." Qrow says, "If a Necros breaks out of the Dead Zone, it could endanger her tribe, but also give the queen a powerful pawn." Shade nods.

"How long will it take to get in contact with her?" The scout asks.

"Shouldn't take too long, day or two before student job assignments at most." The reaper says.

"I don't want to order you around, but get to it." Shade says. "I need to know if she will help ASAP, so we can devise strategies and get her the proper information." Qrow nods. "Taiyang, Goodwitch, Winter, could I ask you to start taking solo jobs to shake off any rust? I want everyone at peak condition. Goodwitch, I'll have to ask you to brush up on your shooting skills, since we'll have to enter through the Deadzone, your Dust-Spells will be useless for a bit." The three nod, and set off. Shade stays behind to speak to Ironwood and Ozpin. "I'll have to ask one thing."

"Name it then." Ozpin says.

"If we fail, level that place with enough WMDs to destroy the entire kingdom and then some." The scout says. "If we are about to fail, I'll activate a high powered transponder pinpointing the Necros's location. Level it." Ironwood sighs, but nods. "And if I die, make sure RWBY is well trained, no matter costs." Ozpin nods after that. Shade nods, and moves to leave.

"Shade?" Ruby's voice asks once the elevator doors open. "Is everything alright?"

"For now Ruby." The Iron Lord sighs. "Just some things from the past. I have a mission in a few days. Just need to get the team. And it needs to be professional huntsmen this time around." RWBY sighs.

"Very well." Weiss says. "Just be careful." The Scout nods with a grin.

"I will. I'm gonna stop by the infirmary. Movie night at seven?" Shade asks. Yang nods. He grins and makes his way to the infirmary. A few minutes later he enters the ward, giving a friendly smile to the nurse on duty. He enters the room housing Luna Starlight, his mentor. He says nothing, taking a seat next to the bed as he studies the monitor watching her vitals. Her aura was still dangerously low, but had a slight increase from when she had been first put on the monitor.

"Hey sis." The younger scout says. "Just stopping by. Wanted to check in on you. I'll make sure to stop by to see Kuroka and Celestia in a second." The teen takes a deep breath, steadying his emotions less he break out into tears. "That...thing is still alive. The thing that did this to you. This time... this time I'm gonna make sure it stays dead, no matter the cost. I promise you that." He grabs his surrogate sister's hand and squeezes slightly, before moving out of the room to visit the other two vanguards. Had he stayed longer, he'd see a sudden spike Luna's aura levels, and the hand he had held twitch slightly, before curling into a fist.

* * *

Shade's visit to the Vanguard didn't last much longer, and he quickly made his way to RWBY's dorm room once seven o'clock struck. Entering he saw that an entire wall had been cleared. Blake and Yang's beds being moved to the other side by the bathroom door. Ruby had reenforced her bed to hold more than one person, and Weiss and Pyrrha were talking to each other while Ruby and Nora talked on the reaper's bed. Jaune was leaning against the side of Weiss's bed while Ren had taken a spot next to his leader. Sun had taken the top of the desk. Neptune was in the desk's chair. Yang was lounging on her stomach, taking up her whole bed. Blake was sitting against the headrest, leaning on the wall, leaving enough space for Shade to slide in beside her. He did so, and the amber-eyed girl smiles softly as Jaune stands to start the projector.

"How was everyone's day?" The Iron Lord asks as Ruby jumps down to help Jaune set the equipment up.

"I found out the rest of our team got held back for grades..." Neptune sighs. Sun shrugs.

"It's cool though. Lionheart has been working with Ozpin and Ironwood to create an international team. Since I'm from Vacuo we already have two kingdoms represented." The monkey says. "You wanna join?"

"I'll speak to Ozpin, sounds fun." Sun and Neptune cheer. "I will forwarn you, however, that I will only use Forgotten Night if this goes through." The two pout. While the Iron Lord's skill with his Glaive is well above the level of the other students, his skill with his sniper rifle But Not Forgotten was legendary. Shade was known to use that rifle as a shotgun, and was quite frightening while doing so. "How about everyone else?"

"JNPR had fun today." Jaune pipes up. "We trained a bit before we broke off to do our own thing. Pyrrha and I hung out." Pyrrha lightly blushes, and Shade smirks.

"Well, after you rushed out, we caught our breath and waited for you." Weiss says, "I met Qrow, the vagabond my sister rants about." The heiress had an uncharacteristic smirk upon saying that. "I like him, he riles up Winter far better that I could ever hope."

"Yeah Shade, why did you rush out so fast?" Yang's head appears upside down, staring at her friend.

"There was a situation." Shade sighs. "I'll tell you, but you all cannot do anything about it, understood?" Everyone nods. "Apparently, that Necros the Lords fought isn't dead, and the Military base in the Dead Zone was wiped out by it." The room is filled with gasps. "I'm getting a team of pros to take it down."

"Who's in the team?" Weiss asks.

"Your sister, Winter. Glynda Goodwitch, Taiyang Xiao-Long, Qrow Branwen, myself, and..." Shade trails off.

"And?" Yang prompts.

"This one isn't definite, but there's a good possibility of getting Raven Branwen to join." Shade says, looking directly into Yang's eyes. The blonde's eyes turn red momentarily, but the lessons Shade had taught her in controlling her emotions kick in and the eyes return to their violet color. "I know her connection with you, and I'll be sure to bring it up with her if I can contact her."

"Very well." Yang nods, sighing. "So.. What's the movie?"

" _The Greatest Showman_." Weiss says, and the room votes in their agreement. Shade blinks.

"I've never heard of it." He says.

"It came out while you were away." The Heiress says. The Iron Lord nods. Ruby presses play and rejoins Nora on her bed. "You'll like the music." Shade huffs in amusement. The night was filled with the sound of music and the group singing along.

JNPR had left soon after the movie, Sun and Neptune not far behind. RWBY had settled down for the night and were now going through the motions. Shade and Blake were reading a book entitled _The Maze Runner,_ something Shade had taken a liking to. The two readers were humming to a score from the movie, a song that Weiss said was called _From Now On,_ one of the more inspirational songs from the movie. Weiss had impressed everyone with her singing talent, which wasn't actually that surprising. Neptune was a little off key but everyone had stayed in range for most of the songs. Shade was the biggest surprise, sounding much like the leading star, *Hue Jackman. Weiss had forced him to promise that the two of them will compose something and that she would find the full extent of his musical abilities. Shade had shrugged, not really caring for a skill he never developed.

While Shade and Blake red, Yang had fallen asleep, Weiss was removing her makeup, and Ruby was studying. She would occasionally call over to the two bookworms or her partner for help if she needed it. Another hour later had Ruby falling asleep, and Weiss struggling to stay awake. Blake was also nodding off and Shade had decided to call it a night. RWBY was asleep moments after he left. He was walking to his dorm when he runs into the three people he didn't want to.

"Oh? Pardon us." Cinder Fall says, her golden eyes holding a calculating glint. Shand grunts and moves begins to move along. "I thought there was a curfew?"

"And I thought visiting student dorms are on the opposite side of the campus." The Scout grunts, not turning around. "Rather far off from where you're supposed to, ain't ya?"

"We got turned around." Mercury says with a smug grin.

"Then you should find yourselves a map before you're punished for being in a restricted area after curfew." Shade says, moving on. "Welcome to the world of Huntsmen, where you need to be situationally aware, and know where the hell you're going. Get your act together." Mercury's grin turns into a scowl, and he moves toward Shade, but Cinder holds him back. Shade instantly hears a sound akin to the drawing of the blade, before the sound around him disappears completely. The Iron Lord instantly is on edge, as the three Haven students weren't in the same order as he remembered. Emerald and Mercury flanking Cinder. Instead, only Cinder remained, and she was speaking, but her voice was distorted. Shaking his head, he brings up his hand, and punches himself across his face. The sounds of Cardin's snoring fill the air, and he looks up at the three, noting Emerald's shocked face. "Well, that was interesting. Illusion type semblance... Very useful. Though it would be ineffective against someone like me. Try a bit harder next time sweetheart." Emerald scowls. "Now I'd recommend that you three run along now, don't wanna get in trouble." Cinder frowns, and the three move down the hall. Shade scoffs, and moves to his room. He opens the door to find Qrow there.

"Hey punk." The reaper says, Shade grunts. "Seems like you had fun out there."

"You saw there profiles, were these the ones that attacked Amber?" The Scout asks. Qrow nods.

"I couldn't see Fall's face, but that Emerald chick was there." The elder reaper says. Shade nods.

"Emerald has an Illusion type semblance. She just used it on me." The Iron Lord says.

"How did you know?" Qrow asks, his eyes growing serious.

"You'll hear a sound akin to metal being drawn, and then all sound disappears. You'll need to do a physical cognitive calibration, or probably destroy the Illusion. I don't think it would work one someone knows what it is." Shade says. Qrow nods. "Have you contacted the black-bird?" Qrow nods.

"She'll meet with us the day after the ball." The elder man says. Shade groans in realization.

"I need to get a date..." He says. Qrow chuckles, and takes a swig. The elder reaper stands and moves to the door.

"Best get onto that kid." He says, before walking out the door. Shade groans, before falling onto the bed and falling asleep.

 **A/N: Okay! There we go.**

 **I put a little * by the name Hue Jackman because I know it doesn't exactly follow the naming rule. Hue is another word for color, and I wanted to keep the name similar so meh.**

 **I don't care if anyone doesn't like** _ **The Greatest Showman**_ **or the book,** _ **The Maze Runner**_ **. I do, and that's why they were mentioned.**

 **Since no one gave me their opinion of Team SSSN being an international team, I'm doing it. We have: Sun, Shade, (Oc from Atlas whose name starts with an S), and Neptune. I'll need an OC that has a first or last name starting with S, and they need to be from Atlas. If y'all have an OC, please PM me. I will not accept Guest OCs because I cannot clarify things if something isn't clear. I will reserve the right to reject your OC, and I will say why, I can guarantee it wouldn't be because I hate the OC or the person, but I have to think about the overall team dynamic for SSSN. If I don't get any OCs, I guess I'll make one myself as a last resort, which I can guarantee they wouldn't be as thought out as Shade due to how quickly I need to make them. I'm not going to give you a format. If I need anything more I'll say it. I will say one thing thought, Semblance. A semblance MUST have some sort of limit: energy, power, or time. A semblance cannot be all powerful. I don't like mental semblances like Emeralds but meh. No animal transformation semblances as well. If I see a flaw I'll talk with ya about it.**

 **Now, before y'all jump on my case about Raven, or the raid team in general, I have one thing to say. Deal with it. I've already screwed over the world in this AU. Winter and Glynda are a good pick because of their talents and abilities. Winter needed more screen time tbh and Glynda was kinda just stuck on clean up duty for the show. Qrow is a must because he field scout skills will allow him to track things down. Taiyang was an iffy at first, but since there isn't another adult, tank-class character that ins't a teacher at Beacon or a headmaster, I had to go with him. Raven was something I've been planning since Chapter 1. Throughout season 5 Raven's been passive aggressive. You can tell she does care for her family, Qrow, Taiyang, Yang, and even Ruby to an extent. I'm gonna build on that.**

 **Raven is a fun character because of the actions she's done. And with the revelation of her ability in S5 EP10, it makes sense why she had left her family behind to lead a nomad tribe of bandits. Makes it hard for people to track her, or so she thought.**

 **Besides, if Salem got control of a Necros, it would cause problems for everyone, including Raven's tribe, if you can't accept anything about my choice to use Raven, accept that.**


	14. Season 2 Chapter 5

**A/N: Alrighty! Back again. Finished up season 5 and it was amazing! Also, who's excited for GEN:Lock? I know I am!**

 **I must apologize for the lateness of this. I'm filling out college stuff and got Monster Hunter: World which is freaking amazing! 10/10 game.**

 **That coupled with my friends and I working on our original novel series, my time has been taken up.**

 **Now, I'm gonna give myself advice, and I hope y'all hold me to it. NO EXCUSES EMERALD!**

 **My actions are inexcusable. I disappeared from the site six years ago. A six year long Hiatus. If any of y'all read my previous stories, I'm sorry for my absence.**

 **I'm not saying I'll devout my life to , because frankly, I don't want to. But I sometimes need a kick in the butt so I don't forget to write, or post. I wrote many things while I was away, but never had the courage to post them. I had written an Arpeggio of Blue Steel fic, The Irregular at Magic High School fic, a Fairy Tail fic, which I've revamped and am currently working on, and many more.**

 **Sadly, most of those fics were lost in a fac-reset, and partly because I don't trust Cloud Storage.**

 **With that out away, onwards.**

Shade had woken with a sense of dread. A scowl mores his face.

"Luna would be laughing her head off." He mutters. "I can survive in the Dead Zone but can't ask a girl out on a date." He goes about his morning, making his way to the cafeteria for breakfast.

"You look worried." Yang says, "What's going on?"

"I forgot about the dance." He mutters. "Unless you're as insane as Sun, a guy's greatest stress is asking a girl out on a date." His head slams into the table as CFVY laughs.

"You have anyone you're gonna ask?" Yang asks, as Ruby, Weiss, and Blake walk up. Shade groans and shakes his head no.

"What's going on?" Ruby asks. While Velvet whispers the details to Weiss. The heiress joins the rest of the girls, excluding Blake and Ruby, by having an amused smirk on her face.

"Shade forgot about the dance and is freaking out about finding a date." Yang chirps. Ruby giggles and Blake grins.

"Yo Ruby!" Sun says, popping up. "Neptune's been bugging me, so I'm gonna ask. You wanna go to the dance as friends? I'd ask Blake or Velvet but I'm afraid of what Coco or Shade would do to me. Not that Yang is scary, but it's purely platonic." Yang's eyes had gone red, but went back to their normal color.

"Why'd you be afraid of me when it came to asking Blake? She can make her own decisions, it's not like we're dat-" Shade slams his head further onto the table in realization while the rest of the table smirks, even Blake.

"Figured it out?" Yang asks.

"People keep thinking that Blake and I are dating because of your comments." Shade says.

"So, what are you gonna to about it?" Blake challenges, raising an eyebrow. Shade glances up to her, and their eyes meet. A wordless conversation quickly passes between the two.

" _You know that this is completely anti-climactic, right?"_

" _I know Shade, but I've come to expect that from you, brutally honest approach."_

" _Hey… Fine. You're sure you're fine with me. Me and my boring self."_

" _I wouldn't have it any other way."_

"Blake, you wanna go to the dance with me?" Shade asks.

"I dunno, do I?" The Faunus looks to her female friends. Shade's head slams onto the table again and Blake bursts out laughing. "Okay, okay! Just don't kill all those brain cells."

"Apparently I don't use them if it took me this long to ask you out." He grumbles.

"I'll be wearing black, but choose a darker color to match your eyes." Blake grins. Shade smirks.

"I have a special suit made, Iron Lord exclusive." He says, Blake raises an eyebrow.

"Oh? I'll have to take a look at it to see if I approve." She says. "I'm gonna channel my inner Kali Belladonna."

"Speaking of Belladonna's, you should call your parents, before I have to. I'm gonna be contacting all your parents for permission to go to the next step of training. Except for Weiss's, I'll ask Winter." Weiss smirks. "I'll contact those in your families with combat experience, and because Weiss put Winter down as her guardian on her transcripts."

"I haven't talked to my family ever since I ran off to join the Fang." Blake mutters. "I don't know if they even want to talk to me."

"They will." Shade says. "Ozpin had to contact them when you applied, to gain permission from your legal guardians. I heard the recording. They're proud of you and are willing to wait until you're ready. However, it would be better for you to tell them before I do, Blake. Becoming an Iron Lord is a huge step up from regular huntsmen."

"Will.." Blake trails off. "Could you all be with me when I make the call then? Later tonight?" CFVY, JNPR, the rest of RWBY, Sun, Neptune, and Shade all nod. Blake smiles. "Thanks."

"Mr. Kurogane." Ozpin's voice echoes from behind. "Mr. Wukong here says that you're interested in making an international team with Mr. Vasilias and him?"

"Yup." Shade says. "It seems interesting, and it would show the world a united front." Ozpin nods as Ironwood enters the room and steps towards them. "How about you General? What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea." Ironwood says. "It would show the world that despite the fact all the schools are competing against each other, we are all one force, and one group." Shade nods. "I'll review any students left behind because the rest of their teams didn't score high enough. Although I believe a Viola Scarlet would be the one joining. I'll confirm before I make promises."

"Here that Sun?" Neptune says, a grin on his face. "You get to keep the name!"

"What is the team name?" Shade asks. Sun and Neptune grin.

"We're team SSSN(Sun)." The two state. Everyone stares at them and blinks.

"That's not conceited at all." Weiss groans while the two laugh. Shade shakes his head in amusement.

"Well, it's better than the name Ozpin came up with for the Vanguard and I." The Scout says. Ozpin pouts, an expression extremely out of place for him.

"What is it?" Ruby asks, a grin on her face.

"SLCK(Slick)" Shade mutters. The table bursts out into laughter, and even Ironwood lets a few chuckles through. Ozpin coughs.

"By the way, speaking of the Vanguard." At the elder headmaster's words the table quiets. Shade's eyes grow sharp and alert. "Luna's aura level's spiked, and Celestia and Kuroka's followed soon after. The equipment monitoring their aura dated it just after your latest visit." Shade nods.

"I've been sorting through my memories. One of the first lessons I taught RWBY was semblance traits and flaws." The Scout mutters. "That was one of the first for me as well. Kuroka explained hers, but I could never completely remember it, because I was focused on figuring out mine. I remember now that I've spoken to the Aquarius', because Vivian had written it down in her diary." All the girls glare at him. "I didn't read it. I had Mrs. Aquarius read it to me. Kuroka's semblance is a stasis-type semblance. It activates when she's low on aura and creates a bubble. If it tags what Kuroka sees as an enemy, it will mark it with a bit of her aura. As long as the marked enemy is alive, those Kuroka sees as a friend who were caught in the bubble with her, as well as herself, will remain in comatose, even when the semblance releases, until the marked is killed."

"So that means..." Ozpin starts. Shade nods.

"That Necros is the same one we fought five years ago." The Scout says. "When I vowed to Luna that I'll kill it, her aura spiked, because the semblance recognized that I will kill it, and showed that there's a chance to wake them up."

"I see." Ozpin says. "We'll speak further when the team is ready." Shade nods.

"Shade." Ironwood starts. "I want to hear your thoughts. The nurses always wondered why you speak to the Vanguard. Most people are silent when visiting those in a comatose state."

"Just because they can't wake up, doesn't mean they don't hear us." The Iron Lord says. "It's just their body that's asleep, not their soul. I was in a coma for two months when I was younger. I remember every conversation that Vivian and Shiro had in my room." The Scout stares up at the General. "Sometimes, the person in the coma, their soul becomes spectral while they wait to wake. Us on the mortal plane cannot see them, because the realm of dreams is on the fine line between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Some believe that those in a coma who achieve a spectral form are like that so they can guide those who are dying to the other side and help those whose time hasn't come." Shade's eyes glow with wisdom, grief, and power. "That is my belief General. When I sleep I hear the Vanguard. They're not dreams. I haven't heard their voices in five years, so I've long forgotten them. But I can hear them, slightly. I'm sure the same has happened to you." Ozpin and Ironwood nod. "They're talking, but because they're not completely dead, we cannot make out what they say. But they can hear us, and they know that I'm gonna kill that thing." Ironwood nods.

"It is an interesting perspective you have." The General says. "I must think on it. But I do hope it's true." Shade nods.

"Now, team CFVY, I thought your mission was running behind?" Ozpin asks. Coco shrugs.

"There were more grimm than expected, but Velvet had finished her weapon earlier than planned so we did a test run, she wiped them all out." Velvet grins, with a slightly evil feeling to it. Shade vows never to tick her off then and there.

* * *

The rest of breakfast had gone with little excitement afterwards. Shade and Blake had taken to reading in RWBY's dorm while the two sisters dueled in Video Games. Qrow had joined them soon after, and Winter and Weiss were off in the clearing in the woods, the elder Schnee trying to help her sister with the summoning aspect of her semblance.

"Hey, Scout." Qrow says. Shade hums in response. "Raven offered to throw you a bone. She'll be by around noon to meet you. The previously planned meeting is still on, but she wants to put a face to your name." Shade nods, checking the clock.

"I assume she only wants you and I meeting her?" The Scout asks. Qrow nods and Shade sighs. "Very well, it's almost noon, let's go." Qrow soundly kicks Yang's butt in the game before the two leave the room. Shade chuckles slightly, giving Blake a hesitant kiss on the cheek before dashing after the elder reaper. The last thing the Scout sees of RWBY is Blake's face turn red as Yang and Ruby pounce on her. "So where are we meeting her?"

"Your room." Qrow answers.

"Why is my room the meeting place for everyone nowadays?" Shade grumbles, happy that he's gone fully Spartan with his room. Qrow chuckles. Shade enters his room, and takes a seat on the floor while Qrow leans against the desk. When the clock hits noon a red vortex appears in the center of the room. A masked woman exits the portal, and Shade fights the urge to draw his knife. The woman walks to Qrow, takes off her mask and sets it down on the desk, taking the seat there as well. She turns to the Iron Lord.

"Iron Lord Kurogane." Raven says, her voice even and cold.

"Tribe Leader Branwin." Shade replies, an inclination of his head. Raven nods in return.

"As I've come to understand, you have a…." Raven trails off, searching for the words. "Job, to say the least, that you'd like me to partake in?" Shade nods.

"I do indeed Tribe Leader, and before you get riled up thinking that Ozpin came up with this as a plan to get into your good graces, it's not." Shade says. "Do you know of what happened to the Iron Lords?" Raven nods.

"Entered the Dead Zone to kill something, no one returned." Raven states, Shade nods.

"We entered to kill a Necros." Shade says. Raven blinks.

"Necros, sounds ominous, what is it?" She asks, standing to take a look at the pictures Shade has up. The Scout notices that her eyes linger on Yang in the picture of RWBY and him.

"It's a grim that unleashes a parasitic gas, the parasites take over the body and animate the dead." He says, and Raven's eyes widen.

"That's…" Raven starts.

"Impossible?" Shade finishes, "It's not, I saw it with my own eyes." Raven nods.

"Why do you want my help? Didn't' the Iron Lords kill it five years ago?" Raven asks.

"I thought so, but evidence says otherwise, and it's tunneling outside the Dead Zone." The Scout says. Raven's eyes widen again, before she stands before Shade. The Scout stands as well.

"You want my help killing it." She states. Shade nods. "But that's not the only thing, is it?" Shade nods.

"I promised I'd bring it up." Shade says, "But Yang want's to meet her mother at least once." He says, and Raven's eyes grow sharp. "I won't bring it up again, but I want to throw it out. Helping us out could open doors for your tribe, including getting actual jobs and protection details, so you won't have to rob to get funds." Raven thinks for a second, before nodding.

"I'll speak to Yang." She says. "After, of course. I…."

"You care for your family in your own way." Shade says, and Qrow nods. "You left for some reason, and most likely for their own protection, but you still should know your daughter, I can say she gets her beauty from you." Raven smirks.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Kurogane." She grins.

"Just Shade," The Scout says. Raven nods.

"Then it's just Raven for you." She says. Shade nods. "I will speak to you further for planning on the mission."

"Very well Raven." Shade says, as she puts on her mask and opens a portal. The woman disappears. Qrow grunts.

"You sure it was wise to tell her all that?" He asks.

"Raven trusts based off of how much you're willing to tell her. She needs to know things to fully trust others." He says, shrugging, "I have nothing to hide." Qrow shrugs.

"Very well." The reaper says, Shade nods and the two make their way down for lunch. The Scout joins RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY at their table.

"How'd the talk with my mom go?" Yang asks, her voice sharp as steel. Shade shrugs.

"Well, we're meeting the day after the dance to iron out the details." He says. "She said she'll talk with you after the mission, but I think I figured out why she left in the first place."

"You do?" Taiyang's voice echoes from behind. The elder man takes a seat quickly. "Tell me."

"She's afraid of something." The Iron Lord says. "I believe she thinks that being near her family would paint a target on their backs. Like she's being hunted and she doesn't want her family to become collateral. She's afraid that you all would be hurt if she stays." Taiyang thinks.

"But we were on a team for our Beacon years." The man mutters. Shade shrugs.

"You have to think of her origins. She came from a bandit tribe, who have evaded the law often times by holding enforcement personnel's families hostage. She may trust your skills but she's paranoid. She feels that she needs to drive a wedge between you and her to keep you all safe." The Scout says. "I will not talk to her further about this, as I promised her, but if she brings it up then I will ask to speak my mind." Taiyang nods. "I believe that she could become more commonplace however. My presence here has already changed things in ways nobody could expect. Only time will tell if it's for better or worse." He looks at Yang now. "Raven wants to see her daughter, she wants to know you and mother you, and Ruby." Both girls look to him. "She never said it, but she took a look at my pictures, her eyes lingered on you two, and she gave a faint smile before turning back to me." He then looks to Taiyang again. "Raven and Summer often butted heads, didn't they?" The man nods.

"Raven often thought Summer was too optimistic about things." He says. Shade nods.

"But they were still close friends, right?" The Iron Lord asks. Tai nods again. "This is only speculation, but from the pictures I've seen of STRQ, Ruby shares an uncanny resemblance with her mother, right down to her emblem, hair color, and love of cloaks. I believe that Raven wants to protect Ruby to an extent, to at least honor her fallen friend." Weiss and Winter had arrived to hear the latter half of the conversation, and the Heiress puts a hand on her friend's shoulders when Ruby's eyes fill with tears. "If it comes up in the mission, I'll speak to her, but only if it comes up." Tai nods. "Now, on a lighter note, how's the preparations for the dance going ladies?"

"We're gonna rock this school tonight." Velvet says, and Shade chuckles. "Dance starts at six." The table nods as they all fall into easy conversation.

"Tai, make sure that the CTT tower is completely locked down, no chances." Shade says, and Tai nods. "Now, Blake, I believed you wanted to see my suit before tonight?" The girl nods, and the two finish eating and make their way to Shade's room. The Scout pulls out a suit-bag from the closet and lays it on the bed. He gestures for her to open it. "It's tradition for an Iron Lord to not see their suit until they first wear it." The Scout leaves, entering the bathroom while the girl looks over the suit. At first glance it seemed like a black military uniform. His nametag over his right breast, and his individual awards over his left breast pocket. When she turns over the coat, however, that's when it changes.

 _-Flashback-_

 _"Shade, what's that symbol on your cloak?" Blake asks, pointing at the symbol under the triple-arrow logo of the cloak. Shade looks at the emblem. It was a gold trimmed circle, with the inside containing a grey-cloaked figure. The face was completely shaded except for glowing green eyes._

 _"Every Iron Lord has a symbol, like how Ruby has her rose, Weiss has her glyph, you have yours, and Yang hers. That is mine." He says. "That's the symbol Vivian, Shiro, and I made. Mine has green eyes, Vivian's had blue with a blue cloak, and Shiro's had blue eyes with a white cloak."_

 _-End Flashback-_

The emblem on the back was a black-lined circle, while the cloak was white on the right and blue on the left, with the eyes green. This was Shade's new emblem, and Blake approved. She nods in acceptance, returning it to the suit to the bag just before Shade returned.

"Well?" He asks. Blake nods with a smile.

"It's perfect." She says. Shade nods with a smile, moving the bag back into the closet before taking a seat on the floor, leaning against the bed while pulling out the book they've been reading. Blake smiles and moves next to him, curling into his side as the two begin to read.

* * *

Blake had left around three o'clock. Much to Shade and her's amusement when she cited that she needed to beat Yang and Weiss into the shower. Shade had chuckled and wished her luck. The Iron Lord was currently walking around campus, just killing time while he waited.

"Oh hello." Cinder Fall's voice sounds from behind. Shade's eyes narrow before returning to normal.

"Hello." He replied, looking over his shoulder.

"I don't believe we've been acquainted." The Villain says. "I'm Fall, Cinder Fall."

"Licensed to kill?" Shade asks with a grin, and Cinder returns it. "I'm Shade Kurogane."

"As in the last Iron Lord?" Cinder asks, Shade nods. The Scout checks his watch and notes the time.

"I'm afraid I must go." He says, "See you around." Cinder nods as he walks away, once he turns the corner, both of their fake smiles drop.

"Cinder?" Emerald asks, walking up from where she was hiding. Her boss nods in response.

"Interesting." The pale woman says. "I can't get a read on him." Emerald looks shocked. "Emerald try to have our associates try to find out anything they can about him, if he has any connections outside of the school, perhaps we could use them as leverage." The two nod as they make their way to their dorm, passing by Qrow in his bird form. Once the two are out of sight, the elder reaper transforms back and makes his way to Shades dorm. He doesn't even knock, but walks right in. Shade was staring at the emblem at the back of his suit-coat, the rest of his suit already on.

"They're gonna try to use the Aquarius's against you." The man says. Shade nods.

"I know, that's why they're here, at Beacon, undercover as a Security officer and a doctor." Qrow raises an eyebrow.

"I didn't know that." He says. Shade smirks.

"Exactly." He says, putting on his coat. Qrow huffs with a small smirk. "Could I have you patrolling the CCT tonight? I don't want any stone left unturned." Qrow nods.

"I'll see to it, if I encounter someone, what should I do?" The reaper asks.

"Observe, the new firewalls should stop them cold. Actually, the White-Hats of Atlas were rather devious. If someone tries to upload a virus it isolates it to a separate server that has no purpose other than making the hacker think their hack worked." Shade grins, and Qrow whistles. "Identify only. Don't neutralize, make them think they're winning, while they think they're ahead, we'll be able to watch their every move." Qrow nods.

"Smart Kid." The man says. "Well, I'll leave you to your date." He transforms back into a Crow, much to Shade's shock, and flies out the winder, laughing caws following. Shade shakes his head, before leaving and making his way out the door. He knocks on the door of RWBY's dorm. Weiss opens it, a wide grin on her face as she looks over him. She does a small twirling motion with her finger, and Shade sighs while spinning. Weiss nods with satisfaction.

"That's your emblem on your back?" She asks. Shade nods.

"Vivian, Shiro, and I shared the same logo. The Blue is from Vivian's, white from Shiro's, and the green eyes from mine." The Scout says. Weiss nods. A noise catches the heiress's attention, and the girl smirks.

"I believe your date has arrived." She says, stepping out of the way. Shade was stunned at what he saw. She was wearing a deep purple dress, but Shade notices instantly the lack of her bow. **(If you don't know Blake's dance outfit, google it. I'm a guy, I dunno clothes. XD)** The girl's Faunus ears stood free, and the girl had her head held high. Shade grins, offering his arm for her. The girl smiles and takes it.

"You look beautiful." He says, and Blake blushes, a small grin on her face.

"You're quite dashing yourself." She says. "I take it that you like the emblem?" Shade nods with a laugh.

"The man who made this made my team's emblems the first time around. He recognized me. Made the emblem himself." He says. Blake nods as the two make their way to the ballroom.

"Oh! You two look adorable!" Yang shouts. Shade rolls his eyes while Blake smiles.

"Heyo Yang." Shade says. Blake smiles. Yang grins as she ushers her friends inside. The two make their way inside, ready to enjoy the night.

* * *

 **(Sorry for the skip, but I've never been to a dance, and never danced before. So…. Welp. XD)**

The dance went off without a hitch, outside the comedic moment of Jaune showing up wearing a dress and then the entirety of JNPR breaking out into a coordinated dance. Shade and Blake had a blast. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and it came to the moment of the night Blake was dreading. The two had changed out of their dance attire and met up in Shades room with casual attire. Blake dials up her parents. The phone took a bit to connect, but then the upside-down face of Ghira Belladonna answers.

" _Hello? Is this thing working?"_ Ghira asks.

" _Dear, it's like this."_ Kali's voice says, and the screen rights itself. The woman's face pops up on the screen. _"Hello?"_

"Mom? Dad?" Blake asks.

" _Oh Blake! Dear!"_ Kali says. _"It's so good to see you!"_ Ghira grins.

" _It's good to see you Blake."_ The Father says.

"It's good to see you too." Blake grins.

" _How's Beacon?"_ Kali asks. _"I see you're not wearing that bow."_

"Beacon's been better than expected." Blake grins. "Shade's been a great help." Ghira raises an eyebrow,

" _Shade?"_ He asks, as the Scout appears behind Blake. Kali squeals in joy.

 _OHHH!"_ The woman exclaims. _"She's found a boy!"_

"Yes, I found a boy." Blake says, rolling her eyes while Shade chuckles.

"Sir, Ma'am. Iron Lord Scout Shade Kurogane." He says, waving with a grin. Kali gasps in surprise.

" _Iron Lord?"_ The elder Belladonna woman asks. Shade nods with a grin.

"Acting Vanguard Shade Kurogane at your service." The Scout says. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Mom, dad, I promise to catch up further, but the reason I'm calling is because Shade is training my team to become Iron Lords, and-" Blake starts.

"I need permission to start the physical training." Shade cuts in. "The theory is easy, but practical training is the hardest part in becoming an Iron Lord because I need to break down years of what combat schools, practical experience, or familial training have built up in instincts. Blake is here to become a Huntress, to hone her skills and learn a few new ones. As a regular Huntress, Blake was training herself to become more rounded of a fighter. As an Iron Lord, I'm smashing that idea. Each Iron Lord trains for one specific role in combat."

 _"Support or Ranged, Recon or Guerilla Warfare, and Tanking or Heavy Artillery."_ Ghira mutters. Shade nods.

 _"Oh Blake would be perfect for Recon and Guerilla Warfare."_ Kali says. Blake nods.

"We know." Shade says. "Typically, Iron Lords operate in-"

 _"Teams of three,"_ Ghira interrupts again. _"But my daughter's situation is different, isn't it?"_ Shade nods.

"Yes, Iron Lords operate in teams of three, Support, Scout, and Guardian, with Guardian as a leader. The Guardian is supposed to draw enemy attention, while the Scout keeps any enemy off the Support's back. Blake's team will have two Scouts, for added protection for the Support. That way the Scouts don't have to jump from role to role as quickly." The Iron Lord says. Ghira nods.

 _"Young Man, I'd like to speak with you more."_ The Chieftain says, Shade nods. _"Perhaps on your summer break Blake can invite her team and their families to visit."_ The Scout nods in thought.

"I would be able to, but we'll have to run it by the rest of team RWBY." He says. The elder man nods.

 _"I give my permission for Blake to continue training. It seems to be doing her good, and I'd be a fool to stop her now."_ Ghira says, and Blake smiles. _"Call us soon honey."_

"I will Dad, Love you." She says, and her parents smile before the screen goes blank. "Thanks Shade."

"No problem." He says, blushing slightly as she leaves a small kiss on his cheek.

"When does your team head out?" She asks. The Scout shrugs.

"Day after tomorrow if we don't have anything else to do." He says. Blake nods with a sigh.

"Be careful." The Faunus says.

"I'll do my best." He says. "But this is something I have to do." Blake nods as the two sit down against the wall. Blake leaning her head on his shoulder, her ears flat against her skull.

"I know, and I cannot wait to meet Luna, so you better come back." The Faunus says. Shade hums in agreement. The two stay like this for a few moments. "I think I should be getting back to my dorm." Shade nods, and he walks her back to RWBY's dorm. After a quick hug, the two part and the Scout makes his way back to his dorm.

"Hey Kid." Qrow's voice says once he enters his room.

"Qrow." Shade returns. "What's the problem?"

"Observed as you directed." He says. "Masked female entered the tower and made her way to the third floor. She pugged in a Scroll and uploaded something. Tai entered that this moment and fought her off. No injuries, but she escaped though the corridor leading to the Ballroom. Caught a glimpse of her face. We confirmed her as Cinder Fall." Shade nods.

"Good, now they're gonna lay low. I'll check in with the virus protection software and see how it held up tomorrow before the meeting. Ozpin's office, right?" He asks. Qrow nods. "Very well, good night Qrow."

"Night kid." The reaper says, and he vanishes into the night.

 **A/N: And that's a wrap!**

 **I basically did a data dump, and sorta glossed over the dance, sorry, but I prefer a background romance for this over a central romance that I usually write.**

 **If there is anything I've missed, or messed up, or that you don't understand, go right ahead and ask! I didn't get an OC submission for the new team SSSN, so I made my own OC.**

 **We're getting close to the S.2 finale! Soon we'll welcome back the vanguard in the next chapter, or the one after that, we'll find out.**

 **So with that, let me know what you think! Have any ideas you want to share then go right ahead. If there's a grammatical error or typo please let me know as well!**

 **Emerald Night out!**


	15. Season 2 Chapter 6: Legend in the Making

Shade had woken up the next day and quickly went through his morning workout. Afterwards, he returned to his dorm and prepared for the day. He put on his full combat gear and strung his cloak around his shoulders before picking up his helmet, a metallic-black object with a green visor stretching around his eyes. His combat gear was light micro-fiber armor, black in color with green highlights. The Scout nods and leaves his dorm, making is way towards the courtyard when RWBY's dorm door opens up and Blake steps before him. She stares at him appraisingly, nodding with a worried glint in her eyes.

"You come back to me, you hear?" She says.

"I will do my best." He says. Blake nods in acceptance, popping up to give him a quick kiss on his cheek, before burrowing into his chest.

"Good luck." She says, and Shade nods as he runs his fingers through her hair softly.

"I'll need it." The Scout replies. The two part, and Shade nods to the remaining members of RWBY as well as JNPR when they poke their heads out. Making his way down the hall, he passes the common room when Velvet and Coco nearly tackle him with hugs. Yastu and Fox pat him on the back and Shade grins. Neptune and Sun appear and the three nod and bump fists. After all his friends give their encouragement and support, Shade makes his way outside. He immediately is joined by Qrow and Taiyang as they make their way to the courtyards. There, the three are joined by Winter and Glynda. The five exchange greetings as Ironwood and a girl with lilac colored hair.

"Ah, everyone." Ironwood says. Shade nods to him.

"General." The Scout says.

"I was on my way to meet you." The General says. "Shade, well, everyone, this is Viola Scarlet, the final member of team SSSN." The girl next to him had deep blue eyes and a stern, but strangely kind smile on her face. She bows in greeting.

"Please to meet you Viola." Shade says. "I'm the Vale portion of the team, Shade Kurogane."

"The acting Vanguard?" Viola asks. Shade nods. The girl smirks. "Wicked." The Scout bursts out laughing.

"In that dorm hall there." Shade says, pointing out the dorms. "You'll probably find a monkey Faunus and a blue haired guy up to no good. They're Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias, our other two teammates. I have a mission and probably won't be back for at least a day or two. I'd recommend introducing yourself and learning about each other." Viola nods.

"Ironwood told me everything." She says, holding out her hand. "Good luck. I look forwards to working with you."

"Likewise." Shade says, shaking her hand. They part and Ironwood joins the five in the raid party in the trek to Ozpin's office. When they arrive the General moves to Ozpin's side.

"Raven will be here momentarily." Qrow grunts, and soon after a swirling portal appears, and the Chief steps out.

"Raven, it's good to see you again." Shade says, as she takes off her helmet. The female Branwen grins to him. Taiyang was staring at her, before smiling softly and nodding to her. Raven nods back.

"I hope you're doing well?" She asks. Tai nods. "And Yang? Or Little Rosie?"

"Both are doing alright." Tai says, grinning at the nickname for Ruby.

"Okay, Raven, you know most of the people here. Tai, Qrow, Glynda, and myself." Shade says. "This is Winter Schnee,"

"It's a pleasure Miss. Branwen." Winter says. Raven waves her off.

"Just Raven." The red-eyed woman replies. "So you're the one that riles up my brother so much. I already like you." The three women in the group smirk mischievously.

"What have I done?" Shade asks himself, much to the girl's amusement. "Okay, so here's the situation." The Scout nods to Ozpin, and the room dims. A holographic map of the Dead Zone appears. "This is the Dead Zone, and our landing point. More specifically, it's here, at my old camp." A red dot appears at the location. "The landing zone will be a touch and go. The emergence of the Necros has riled up the local Grimm. From there we'll fight our way to the Barren Graves. The battleground. We have no data on the caves, so we'll be running blind at that point. We'll see many zombies, for lack of a better term. They're dead, just make sure that they stay down. At some point we'll actually leave the Dead Zone, we'll feel it. From there we find the Necros and take it down."

"Sounds simple enough." Raven says. Shade shrugs.

"Everything sounds simple in theory, but the Necros will be extremely hard to take down." He says.

"What are the specifications of the Necros?" Winter asks. The hologram changes to a large turtle-Grimm.

"The Necros doesn't have teeth or claws, but can spin around on its shell, crush its enemies, or breathe a parasitical gas that kills you and then controls your corpse. The armor of the shell is virtually impenetrable from the top, so we'll have to go at it from the softer underbelly or straight down the gullet. Once it breaths out its gas it retracts into its shell to recover. We couldn't try it but I believe the gas can be ignited by fire dust." Shade says. "Our window is when it tucks into its shell after it breaths the gas. We lob any explosive we can find into the openings. If it tucks into its shell without breathing the gas it'll start spinning, so find cover and stay in it." The five nod, "Good. There's nothing else about this Grimm that we know of, but that doesn't mean that it has more tricks. We need to stay alert." The team nods.

"Sounds simple enough." Raven mutters again. Shade nods.

"It all sounds simple, but battleplans never really survive past the first encounter." The Scout says. Raven nods in acceptance. "Ironwood, Ozpin, as of this moment Glynda Goodwitch, Taiyang Xaio-Long, Winter Schnee, Raven Branwen, and Qrow Branwen are officially Iron Lords." Collective gasps fill the room.

"But—we don't have the blade." Winter says. Shade grins.

"Winter, being an Iron Lord isn't defined by the Iron Blades, being an Iron Lord is about the spark of hope we set, igniting the flame that drives humanity and Faunus forwards for progress, peace, and protection." He says, "Iron Lords are an ideal, a dream of a better world, and the guardians of that dream. An Iron Lord is a guardian of the people, of their hopes and dreams. Iron Lords never truly die, and neither do the dreams of the dead. By agreeing to help me take down the Necros, you have proven that you are ready to give anything to protect the people." His eyes look to Raven, who closes her eyes with a small smile and nods. "I realize that you five have some sort of story together from your pasts, but you've pushed beyond that. We are a team, but moreso, now we're family. So, here's battle orders, Winter, Glynda, your job is to support Tai as he tanks, he's our shield that packs one hellova punch. Qrow, Raven, and myself, we alternate from guarding Winter and Glynda and attacking the enemy with high-damage, ambush attacks. If we fight on the vanguard, we strike from the shadows, taking out the small fry with one hit and vanishing. We're the damage dealers, Tai's the distraction, and our two mages are the support. Alone, we are impressive, together, nothing stands in our way." The five smile, and Shade grins back. "So, my fellow Iron Lords, are we ready to avenge our ancestors? Are we ready to save the Vanguard? Today, we face the monster at our door, and take the fight to it! Today, we're cancelling the apocalypse!" Shade holds out his fist, and his team all puts their own in.

 **"Ho-ah!"** The collective shout of the six echoes throughout the office as Ozpin and Ironwood smile.

"That kid is going to open a door no one expected." Ironwood says. Ozpin nods.

"The forgotten light of the Iron Lords." The aged headmaster says. "It is something the world has forgotten, and our enemies have thrived in the shadows casted by its absence. That light, that flame, is the hopes, dreams, and memories of all of those that have fallen while facing the darkness. We aren't seeing six people before us." Ozpin smiles. "We're seeing countless generations of Hunters and Huntresses reincarnated in six people before us." Ironwood nods with a smile.

"The bullhead is waiting." The General says. "Vanguard, Iron Lords, good luck, happy hunting, and godspeed." The six file out of the office. The Atesian Knights file out, creating a straight path to the landing pads as the bells of the CCT tower ring across the city, drawing attention of everyone in Vale. All eyes watch a flaming-yellow Bullhead take flight and rocket off into the distance.

The members of RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and the remaining three of SSSN watch as the Bullhead carrying their friend rockets off. Blake's amber eyes close as she sends off a quiet prayer, hoping that Shade would return safely.

* * *

The cargo bay of the Bullhead was silent as the team went about mentally preparing themselves. Raven, Glynda, and Winter were meditating, Taiyang was resting while listening to music, Qrow was maintaining Harbringer, and Shade was dismantling and reassembling his pistol. How the small parts of Shade's pistol didn't go flying around during the bumpy ride was because the Scout had channeled a small bit of his semblance to make a magnetic charge on it. After de-magnetizing the parts and fully assembling his pistol, the Bullhead's pilot speaks up.

"Alright, we're nearing the LZ." The man up front says. The team moves into action as the Bullhead flies over the Dead Wall. Shade hits the button that opens the bay doors as the Bullhead slows to a hover. As soon as the jump-light turns green, the six jump from the Bullhead, making the short fall to the ground. They check the area, clearing it before regrouping at Shade's rundown tent.

"This was where you were for five years?" Glynda asks, eyeing the patchworks tent while Shade shrugs.

"Had to, I guess. Okay, we've been over the plan, here's some more intel." He says. "I didn't state this in the briefing because it's mostly my theories based on observations. The parasites take over the body, but if the host is too damaged, they can't take over. The zombies cannot use aura but are able to use equipment. Stay alert as we near the base." The five nod. "On me!" They break off into a sprint, but strangely don't encounter any Grimm. They reach the charred ground of the battlefield after a few minutes. Looking over the destroyed base, Shade narrows his eyes when he sees no activity. Tai curses.

"The blast doors that were installed on the cave's entrance are shut. We'll need to turn on the generators to open them." He says.

"Understood." Shade mutters. "Glynda, you and Tai handle Generator 1. Winter and Qrow will handle Gen. 2. Raven and I will take Gen. 3. After we get the generators on, meet back at the front gate."

"Why there?" Winter asks.

"Because I have a feeling once those gates start to open all hell will break loose, we'll need that area as a buffer." The teen replies. Everyone nods. "Winter, Qrow, once you're done there, try to get some comms up. Everyone, let's move." The six break up, all heading to their generators.

"Generator 1 is active." Glynda says.

"2 is up." Winter reports.

"We got 3." Shade says. "Regroup." The six regroup at the front gate. Shade looks to his left forearm as a holographic pad appears. He types in a few sequences and the gate into the cave begins to open. Suddenly, the blast doors explode outwars.

"Ahhh shit." Qrow mutters. Standing in their way was an Atlesian Sentinel, the big brother of the newly released Atlesian Paladin and designed from Goliath hunting.

"Scatter!" Shade shouts, and the six break away as the Sentinel opens up.

"Shade! We don't have any anti-armor rounds for that!" Winter shouts. Shade thinks for a second.

"We may not, but this base does! It has Anti-Goliath munitions all around!" The teen shouts, he then spots something on the right leg. He pulls out But Not Forgotten and takes aim. The sharp report of his rifle echoes over the battlefield as the high caliber round tears through the hydraulic lines for the leg. The Sentinel falls do its knee. "Currently, all I can do is take out hydraulics! But a Sentinel has redundant systems as backups for that! Qrow, Raven, and I will distract it! Winter and Glynda, lay covering fire! Tai, there's an AA gun on top of that wall, it's loaded. Turn it around and blast this thing! Raven draws a black sword from her sheath, a regular blade. Qrow loads Harbringer and Shade draws Forgotten Night. The three rush forwards with incredible speeds, even without the assistance of aura. The Sentinel stands back up and takes aim with its machine gun, opening fire. The three scatter, and the left shoulder of the mech opens to reveal missiles. Three launch off and head towards the three scouts. Winter and Glynda take aim with their rifles and destroy the missiles. Just as the Sentinel takes aim at the two Supports, Shade appears before the head, slashing with Forgotten Night. He lands, and sprints off again, leaving a stunned machine behind. Qrow then unloads his chamber into the back of the right knee while Raven slashes the back of the left knee. The Sentinel is knocked down as Beowulfs swarm from the cave.

"Tai!" Qrow shouts.

"Glynda, Winter! There's an explosive cache behind you!" Raven shouts. "Use those 'nades!" The two grab the grenades and lob them out, taking out the Beowulfs en masse.

"Taking aim!" Taiyang shouts. "Firing!"

"Scatter!" Shade shouts. The three scouts make it back to the Supports when the AA gun fires off, directly hitting the Sentinel.

"Got it!" Tai shouts.

"Check for a pulse!" Shade says. "That thing was made to take down Goliaths! Those guns have clips of two!" Tai fires another round and the resulting explosion throws out Sentinel parts. When the dust clears, the team sees the mangled remains of the mech. All six breath a sigh of relief. "Okay, gather ammo and gear from the base. Nothing too heavy however."

"How many Sentinels did the base have?" Glynda asks.

"Only the one, and no Paladins." Winter says. "There wasn't much Goliath activity so we only sent one." Shade nods and a few minutes later, the team stands at the entrance of the cave.

"Once more into the breach." Shade mutters. Raven chuckles.

"Shakespeare?" She asks. Shade shrugs.

"Blake and I read Henry V, the quote stuck." The teen says. The team chuckles. "It was weird to read something from before the naming tradition." Glynda laughs.

"Yes, the names are quite odd." The Professor says.

"Alight, Qrow. I see you brought some scanning equipment?" Winter asks. Qrow nods.

"Yeah, saw it and thought it would help when navigating." He replys. Winter nods.

"Okay, activate it." Shade says. The machine humms to life. A pulse of ultrasound, unheard to the team, is rung out. Roars from Grimm further down the cave echoes back. "Well... Shit."

"Eloquently said." Winter mutters.

"Lock and load!" Shade says, and he draws out his pistol. The team charges in, shooting, slashing, and obliterating the Ursai and Beowulfs that swarm them.

"Fork in the road!" Qrow shouts, looking at the scanning device. Shade stops for a second, feeling a tug in his gut. "The enemies are coming from the left, that's where we gotta go!"

"Hold it." Shade mutters. "We go right."

"But-!" Winter says.

"I can't explain!" Shade says. "But my gut tells me to go right."

"Well, that gut did help you survive here!" Tai shouts. The team takes the right path, following Shade as he runs through the cave. Suddenly, everyone gets a sudden rush of energy.

"I think be passed under the Dead Wall." Glynda says. Shade nods.

"Eyes alert." He says, as the team enters a giant cavern. Hordes of Grimm and zombies fill it below. "I think we're at the right place." A large mound of rock on the cavern's floor shutters, and the cave rumbles as the mound slowly stands. Two glaring orange eyes stare back at Shade. "Remember me?"

The Necros roars in defiance, and the hordes of Grimm rush towards the Fireteam.

"Remember the plan?" Shade asks, all nod. "Good, change in plan slightly. Winter, how many Beowulfs can you summon at once?"

"Not enough to level the numbers but enough to make it a fight." The Schnee responds.

"Good, do it." Shade says. A large blue glyph covers the area, and spectral-blue Beowulfs appear around the team, rushing to meet the charging mass. "Tai, how explosive are you?"

"Yang's my daughter, where'd she learn it from?" Tai snarks back.

"Point." Shade shrugs. "Well have at them." Tai's fists catch fire as he rushes the mass with the summons, soon after explosions rock the cave. "Glynda, crowd control with Tai, Winter, catch your breath and then join Raven, Qrow, and I on taking out the Necros." The three scout-types look to each other and nod, and Winter grunts in response. Raven returns her metallic blade to her sheath, before drawing a red blade from it. Qrow reloads Harbringer, and Shade draws Forgotten Night, the glaive catching fire as soon as he draws it. The three use their speed and rush the Necros. The giant Grimm raises a foot and stomps it down, causing the cave to shake and boulders to fall from the ceiling. The three dodge them. Qrow unloads his barrels into the foot, and then Raven unleashes an inferno of attacks. Shade jumps up to the Necros's face, spinning and slashing in a deadly dance of flames. He plants a foot on the Grimm's head and flips back just as a yellow blade from Raven fills the gap where he was, electrical energy crackling as it unloads a massive shock into the roaring mouth of the Grimm. The Necros staggers back, and then roars in further rage. It stomps the ground again, but Qrow's semblance then decided to rear its semi-ugly head, causing most of the boulders to fall on the Necro's shell, a relatively large and spiked boulder gets lodged in the armor plating. Suddenly, a spectral Beringal appears and slams the boulder down, spiking it into the Necros's back and causing the massive Grimm to roar in pain. Winter's glyphs surround the Necros as the three Scouts fall back. The three watching morbid awe as Winter unleashes a terrifying onslaught of her glyph attacks. The Necros is knocked around before tucking into its shell and beginning to spin.

"Cover!" Raven shouts, and her brother and her duck into a small niche in the wall. Winter uses a glyph to run into the air to stand on a ledge. Tai and Glynda duck back into the tunnel. Shade however, runs forwards, Forgotten Night sparking with flames. The Necros spins towards him, and the teen kicks off the wall, lunging over the massive Grimm. Landing behind it as it slams into the wall, the teen then throws his glaive into one of the holes in the shell, a shimmering string connecting the weapon his right arm's armor. Flames explode out of the shell, and Shade pulls his right arm, retracting the string and returning Forgotten Night to him. The Necros pops back out, scorch marks covering its body. It roars in rage.

"Glynda, boulders!" Shade shouts. Glynda uses her telekinesis and flings the boulders at the Necros, hitting it in the head. "Tai, smash!" The man's flaming from flying over the rear of the Necros is Shade's answer. Tai slams his fists into the top of the Necros's head, and an explosion knocks it down. "Winter, flip it!" A massive glyph appears under the large Grimm. In a burst of light, the Necros is flipped on its back. "Raven, Qrow!"

"On it!" The Branwen siblings shout, unloading everything they got into the weaker underside of the Grimm. The Necros roars in pain as it struggles to get up. With a spinning flourish, the Necros knocks back Raven and Qrow. Shade growls in annoyance as he observes the situation. He checks his scroll. Winter and Glynda had around four fifths of their aura, Tai was down to three fourths. Raven and Qrow were at half, and he was sitting at half as well. He glances up to see something he didn't notice before. The plates on the Necros's where Tai had slammed the boulder into were cracking and falling away, revealing the solt flesh underneath.

"Okay! New plan!" Shade shouts. "Go for its back! The shell is breaking there!"

"Roger!" The team shouts. Raven, Qrow, and Shade rush into action just as Tai grabs the Necros's attention with a flaming fist to the face. Countless attacks from Winter's glyph-spells fill the cave, eliminating any smaller Grimm as well as attacking the Necros. The rubble from boulders and rocks float in the air and condense into spears as Glynda launches them. Shade slashes the exposed section and then the armor shatters, breaking away as the Necros roars.

"Hit it with all we got!" Raven shouts. The team uses every ounce of energy, every round left, and attacks with their strongest ability. The Necros roars in pain as Glynda zaps it with a massive dust spell. Followed by Raven flashing in and unleashing a flurry of multi-colored attacks. Tai follows soon after, a flurry of flames and fists knocking the Necros around. Qrow appears next, Harbringer turning into a scythe as he performs a deadly dance of shotgun shells and blades, taking out the legs. A massive glyph appears soon after, and Winter unleashes a maelstrom of attacks. Shade charges soon after, Forgotten Night channeling his semblance. Blue lightning crackles as he jumps high into the air. Throwing his weapon towards the Necros's head, Winter catches the teen with a glyph and launches him after the glaive. Forgotten Night impacts first, driving itself into the skull plate, but not enough to kill the beast. However, as lightning surrounds Shade's form, the teen lands on the hilt of his weapon, driving it through the skull with an explosion of lightning. Shade lands, returning Forgotten Night to its place on his back. The Necros shutters with its final breaths, before collapsing into the ground, dead. It begins to turn to dust, but instead of the usual black, glowing blue, purple, and pink dust appear instead. The six watch as the dust condenses into its colors, before rocketing off through the caves, heading towards Beacon. The six look to one another, before they stumble, all breathing heavily.

"We did it!" Tai shouts, tackling Raven with a hug as everyone chuckles. The area grows quiet as they watch Raven. "O-oops, sorr-"

"Shut up you oaf and kiss me." Raven demands, and Glynda bursts out laughing as Tai does so. Shade smirks as Winter pinches the bridge of her nose in annoyed-amusement. Qrow just takes a swig.

"Could I get a shot?" Shade mutters, and Qrow shrugs, giving Shade his flask. The teen takes a swing of the whiskey before handing it back. Glynda huffs. The six gather together and make their way leave.

"Well Tyrian," A posh voice says, watching from the shadows. "It appears our lady will have some bad news."

"Well, it isn't our fault, isn't it?" A crazed man replies.

"She'll decide that." The posh man states. Tyrian crackles softly as they fade into the shadows.

* * *

The Grimm that had filled the caves disappeared. The team quickly noticed this as they made their way out. All squint as they near the surface, and sigh with relief to breath fresh air.

"Let's get home." Shade says, as Winter fires up the flare.

* * *

In Beacon's infirmary, three women flinch as their aura spikes. Before a set of blue, a set of pink, and a set of purple eyes snap open and all three gasp. All three mutter the same thing.

"Shade?"

 **Annnd done! Sorry this took so long.**

 **Before y'all bust me for the Ho-ah thing earlier, brief thing. Marines go Ho-rah, Army goes Ho-ah, and Navy goes aye-aye, according to my ROTC instructor, who was in the Navy and now Army. If I messed that up please correct me.**

 **How'd you like it? I grew tired so I left it off on a cliffy. Let me know what y'all think and I'll see y'all in:**

 **RWBY Dead Zone**

 **Vol. 2 Chapter 7**

 _ **Home**_


	16. Season 2 Chapter 7: Home

The team was exhausted, Raven and Tai where leaning on each other, falling asleep. Glynda and Winter were quietly talking about something involving dust spells. Qrow was just sleeping. Shade was pacing back and forth.

"Shade, take a seat." Winter says, catching his arm.

"I can't!" Shade says. "There's too many variables! What if they didn't wake up! What if they just died!" Winter pulls the young Iron Lord into a tight hug as Glynda places a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down." The Schnee says. Shade nods. "They'll be fine. Just relax. Sleep." Shade nods off in his friend's embrace. Winter smiles down on him.

"You'd make a wonderful mother." Glynda mutters. Winter smiles softly.

"I rather think of being an older sister." She says, before telling the pilot to take the return trip a little slower.

 _Linebreak)_

The Bullhead landed a few hours later. Shade was the first one off, rushing past Ozpin, Ironwood, the other three members of SSSN, RWBY, JNPR, and CVFY. Ruby quickly used her semblance to cut him off.

"Forgetting something?" The young leader asks, holding out Luna's sword. Shade smiles slightly as he slings it over his back. Blake then walks into his field of view, glaring slightly.

"I'll let this one time slip, for the Vanguard." She growls, "But never blow me off like that again, you hear?" Shade nods, and tears fill her eyes as she embraces him. "Thank the Brother's you're alright."

"I promised, right?" He says, and she nods into his chest. "Hey, look at me." He lifts her chin until their eyes meet. "I'm okay, alright, no need to worry." She smiles and quickly places a chaste but passionate kiss on his lips. A few moments later they part. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She says, smiling. "Now go get 'em tiger." Shade smirks and nods. Running off towards the infirmary, he slides through the doors, startling the nurse at the desk.

"They're down the hall." The nurse says. Shade nods. Making his way down the hall he stops just outside the door of Luna's room, his hand resting on the doorknob. The Scout takes a deep breath and opens the door.

Two bright, alert, blue eyes stare back at him. Luna's purple hair shining in the sunlight.

"Who are you?" She asks. "You look too young to be a doctor or nurse, so student. Why are you here?"

"I'm…." Shade says, his voice croaking at the sound of her voice. "I'm Shade Kurogane, I-I'm your student." Luna looks confused.

"My- Student?" She asks. "But I don't- I don't have a student."

"You've been trapped in Kuroka's semblance for just over five years." Shade says. Luna furrows her brows.

"How do I know you're not lying?" She asks, her eyes sharpening. Shade wordlessly offers her the sword.

"You told me that you'd never give anyone this sword, unless you thought you were going to die." He says, "This is your blade Master…. Or should I say, Nee-san." Luna's eyes narrow on the sword, before she gasps at his final words, clutching her head in pain. "Luna!" Memories flash before her eyes, all leading up to the final moments of the Dead Zone battle. Shade rushes to her side, placing a hand on her back to support her. After a few moments, she looks up at him with a small smirk.

"Heyo bro." She quietly says, tears filling her eyes as she looks up to meet Shade's glowing emeralds. Tears fill his eyes as he quickly embraces his surrogate sister. "Let's go wake up 'Tia and Kuroka."

Shade quickly helps Luna into a nearby wheelchair, and make their way to Celestia's room. The pink-haired woman quickly snaps her attention to them.

"Luna, what's going on?" The elder sister says.

"We've been asleep, for over five years." Luna says. "Haven, July 17th." Celestia's eyes widen as the memories flood through her mind. "You alright sis?"

"Yeah, yeah. Gods Shade, you survived living in the Zone?" The Support asks. Shade chuckles sheepishly and nods. Celestia chuckles. "Only you. At least you've survived. Shall we catch up?"

"We gotta wake up Kuroka, but only you two know how to do that." Shade mutters, Celestia sighs with a smirk.

"Let's go." With that, Celestia stands up and hobbles over to the last room in the hall. Inside is Kuroka Night. Her midnight colored hair glinted in the sunlight, and her lavender eyes stare straight at the three. Kuroka cocks an eyebrow at Celestia's weary smirk.

"What's wrong?" Kuroka asks, and Celestia just walks up and plants a firm kiss on the Guardian's lips. Scythe raises an eyebrow and Luna bursts out laughing. Kuroka winces and clutches her head as her memories returns. Celestia backs away, but Kuroka grabs the front of her shirt and pulls her back into another kiss.

"Welp, that's a thing." Shade mutters. "And here I thought this whole thing was gonna be more emotional." Luna drags Shade towards Kuroka's bed as she swamps everyone into a giant bear hug.

"I honestly thought we were gonna die." The female Scout whispers, tears filling her eyes.

"Imagine what it was like to be me, thinking that you all were dead for five years." The male Scout mutters, hugging them tighter. "Gods it feels good just to hear your voices again." The three of the vanguard smile softly as they all hug each other tighter.

"We're not going anywhere this time." Luna says, and Shade nods, tears finally escaping as RWBY looks in from the hallway.

 _I don't know where we should go_

 _Just feeling farther from our goals_

 _I don't know, what path we will be shown._

 _But I know that when I'm with you_

 _I'm at home._

 **A/N: So I'm back? Sorry that this is super short, but this was the last few sections of the previous chapter. Thanks for sticking with me through Shadows of the Past.**

 **Join us for Season 3**

 _Dark Forces are rising,_

 _But the light of the Iron Lords shines brighter, unknown to the darkness._

 _It's time to take the fight to them._

 _It's time to emerge from the shadows,_

 _To show the world that we are here,_

 _And expose them as the villains they are._

 _It's time to reclaim our world._

 _ **RWBY Dead Zone**_

 _ **Season 3**_

 _ **Reclamation**_


	17. Season 3 Chapter 1

"Myths!" Shade shouts, and Sun and Neptune rush past him, dancing around each other in a whirlwind of blades and gunfire, obliterating the training drones. "Outlanders!" Shade runs forwards as Neptune jumps back. Sun activates his semblance, using three spectral clones to launch a sparking Shade at the drones, who lands with an explosion of lightning, wiping out a small group. "Noble!" Viola draws her dust enhanced bow as Neptune loads a clip into his rifle. Both fire, Viola using water dust while Neptune's electric-charged rounds impact, frying the bots. "Eclipse!" Sun and Viola launch into the sky, both of their semblances activating. Viola's shadow clones and Sun's sun specters team up with the originals to overwhelm the bots. They destroy the last one soon after.

"Simulation ended." A voice says. The room brightens as the four catch their breath.

"Shoot." Viola says. "We didn't get to use all of them." Shade laughs.

"We were having too much fun to care." Sun shrugs. "I must say it Shade, you're handling being the leader far better than I did. I'll admit it." Shade laughs as he tosses the team bottles of water.

"I'm good at it I guess." The teen Scout says. Clapping is heard as Luna walks into the room. The rehab was going well for her. She couldn't run just yet, but her ability to walk had recently returned and the elder scout was overjoyed to get out of the wheelchair. The purple haired woman leans on Shade's head, or well, tries.

"Why did you have to grow." She whines. "You're growing up too fast for me kid!" Before the Dead Zone battle, Shade stood at a small 4 foot 5 inches. Now, he's well over 6 feet tall. Luna wasn't the tallest of the Vanguard, standing at 5 foot 3, so she was generally overshadowed by the tall people. Shade laughs as he gives his sister in all but blood a hug. The rest of SSSN smiles at the interaction, between the two.

"Luna! I didn't know you were watching!" The male scout exclaims. Luna laughs as he puts her down.

"That was the point kid! I wanted to see how well you fought." She says. "I'm impressed, you've only had a week to get used to each other." SSSN grins. "Now, about this girlfriend I've been hearing about?" Shade chuckles.

"You mean Blake?" The student asks. He waves to his team with the promise of meeting up later as Luna and he leave together. "What about her?" Luna smirks as she looks at him out the corner of her eye. Suddenly, Shade finds himself in a headlock courtesy of Kuroka. The Guardian gives him a noogie while Celestia walks up from the front.

"Since when are you good with girls!?" Kuroka says, as Shade's spirit leaves his body. Celestia laughs.

"She probably made a situation where he would have asked her." The Support says.

"Pretty much." Blake's voice rings from the courtyard. The girl was sitting underneath a tree waiting for Shade to finish training. Shade's spirit returns as she breaks Kuroka's chokehold and rushes forwards.

"BLAKE! MY SISTERS ARE BEING MEAN TO ME!" The male scout says. Blake huffs with amusement.

"Shade." She says. "Simmer." He blinks.

"Oh… Sorry." He says.

"Whipped." Kuroka whispers. A pencil nails her in the head.

"Oi!" Shade shouts. Luna and Celestia burst out laughing. Blake grins and she intertwines her hand with Shade's. "With that out of the way, Y'all want to help me with training RWBY today?" The vanguard look to each other.

"Ah what the hell. Let's go little bro!" Luna says.

"Oi!" Kuroka and Celestia shout, raising their fist into the air. The five make their way into the woods, and quickly arrive at the clearing. In the last few weeks it had changed. Training dummies where set up near the edge of the clearing. A small shelter was constructed in the center to provide a space outside the elements for practical training. Under the small shelter was an Iron Forge for general purposes. Out on the small collection of rock and log chairs, was the rest of team RWBY, all dressed in basic clothing. Yang was wearing a simple tank top with short-shorts. Ruby was wearing a T-shirt and cargo shorts. Weiss had abandoned trying to uphold her appearance while working out. Her hair was pulled back into a pony-tail and she was wearing a white tank top and black running shorts. Blake enters the forge to change, and returns with a purple tank top and black yoga-pants.

"Alright!" Shade shouts. "Let's get to work!" RWBY gathers at the makeshift chairs. "Kuroka, Luna, Celestia, this is team RWBY. RWBY, this is the Vanguard."

"I'm Ruby Rose! RWBY's leader!" Ruby chirps.

"Weiss Schnee, how do you do?"

"Blake Belladonna"

"And I'm Yang Xaio-Long!"

"Nice to meetcha!" Kuroka says. "I'm the Guardian Vanguard, Kuroka Night!"

"I'm the Support Vanguard, Celestia Starlight."

"And I'm the Co-Vanguard of the Scouts. Luna Starlight."

"Co-Vanguard?" Shade asks.

"We made it official, you two are both Scout Vanguards." Kuroka says. Shade blinks.

"Eh?"

 _Linebreak!_

After Shade woke up from fainting, the elder Vanguards watched how Shade taught RWBY. The way he was able to train all at once while still giving individual attention and personal advice. The Vanguard was impressed that he was able to train a Support or Guardian as efficiently as he did.

"Alright!" Shade shouts. "Good work everyone!" Weiss and Ruby collapse into each other's arms, the two nodding off together. Yang just wipes the sweat off her head, and Blake leans up against her boyfriend. "I know I've overworked y'all, but today was a day to go all out. Rest up. The tournament starts soon, so classes will just be mainly theory until it's over. Yang nods in response. Blake falls asleep on Shade's shoulder as Yang leans against the shelter for a quick nap.

"Good work kid." Luna says, leaning on Shade's other side. Kuroka and Celestia lay down nearby and take a nap as well, their weakened state leaving them exhausted. Luna and Shade smile at the scene. "You realize it now kid?" Shade looks to her in confusion. "When you started out, you were all alone. Now, now you got friends. You got a family now kid." Shade blinks, then smiles.

"Yeah, I guess so." He says, with a soft smile while looking down at Blake. Luna smiles as he lays down on the ground next to him.

"That's why you're a Vanguard, you've got something to fight for now. Something to protect." She says. "That is why you're not my student anymore. You are my equal little brother."

"No, I still have much to learn." Shade says. "But they've taught me, my family taught me. They are teaching me. They see the world differently than you and I. That is why we must protect them." Luna chuckles as she closes her eyes.

"There ya go kid." She says, falling asleep. Shade smiles, before his eyes harden.

' _I will protect them, all of them.'_ He thinks. _'No matter what, no matter the cost. Even if my semblance consumes my soul, I will defend them to my dying breath._


	18. Season 3 Chapter 2: TOURNAMENT!

**Sorry for the last chapter being short everyone. I've been working my butt off to keep my grades up this new semester of college.**

 **So we're in the homestretch! I dunno what I'm doing when I reach Volume 4, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.**

 **Let's go to the tournament!**

Shade claps as RWBY celebrates their victory in the arena against Mistral's ABRN. The elder of the Vanguards whistle at their victory.

"They're doing well." Luna says. Shade nods. Sun appears next to them.

"Hey Shade. The rest of the team are exploring around the fair, want to catch up? The next match isn't for a little bit." The Faunus states. The rest of the Vanguard nods at Shade's questioning look.

"Let's go!" The group makes their way to the fairgrounds. Meeting up with RWBY as they split from Cinder's teammate, Emerald. The rest of SSSN arrive soon later. The team falls into conversation with the Beacon team as they make their way to a ramen stand. The eight converse as they place their orders, Shade chuckling at Blake's order of fish on the noodles. Weiss goes to pay in celebration, but her card is declined and Blake goes into depression as her bowl is taken away. The heiress was dumbfounded, before she sighs.

"I should have known my father would try to screw me over." She mutters. Ruby pats her friend's back.

"Perhaps I could help?" Pyrrha's voice cuts through the air. JNPR takes a seat and Pyrrha pays for all twelve.

"I could have paid Pyrrha…." Shade mutters. Pyrrha shrugs it off as they eat. "Besides, you shouldn't be eating too much.. You have a fight next, right?" Ren nods.

"Yes." The quiet male confirms. "But it is good to eat beforehand." Shade shrugs.

"Very well." The Iron Lord agrees.

"Will team JNPR report to the stadium, as they were supposed to be here ten minutes ago?!" Oobleck's voice shouts through the area.

"Now it's time to go I guess." Jaune announces, and his team exit for their fight. Shade waves to them, and them the teams return to the stadium to watch the battle.

 _-Gonna skip the JNPR fights because you can watch it yourself.-_

Shade chuckles at the ending of the JNPR match, before making his way down to the staging area.

"Now for the team NDGO (Indigo), they're certainly a crowd favorite." Professor Port exclaims.

"Yes indeed, however their opponents are certainly nothing to scoff at." Doctor Oobleck states. "They're facing team SSSN (Sun). This festival's first team comprised of students from all four schools." The four girls of NDGO stare at team SSSN as the team rise up. Sun was looking around in awe, Neptune was looking cool as usual. Viola and Shade were meditating. NDGO stares at the team in confusion.

"Ladies." Neptune flirts, with a flirty wink. The four girls glare at the blue haired teen before Neptune is tripped by Forgotten Night. Shade and Viola sigh as they stand up.

"Ignore him, it's how he responds to stress." The Iron Lord sighs, before his helmet morphs around his head, his cloak flowing in a wind.

"You-you're the Iron Lord, are you?" Octavia asks. Shade nods. "Oh boy."

"Do not worry, just give it everything you got. I'm just a teen like you." The Scout grins. A sand field appears behind the girls.

"No worries girls! Home field advantage." Nebula states.

"Hey! Don't forget that it's my turf as well." Sun states.

"Yeah! Don't und-" Neptune starts.

"Oh the beach!" Dew exclaims, interrupting Neptune. The Mistralian freezes, and Shade sighs.

"What's wrong with him?" Viola asks.

"Neptune…. Is afraid of water." Shade sighs. NDGO smirk slightly, but also show sympathy.

"Sorry mate." Gwen says, as the round starts. Neptune files past everyone, standing on one of the mountains.

"Move!" Shade shouts, drawing his handcannon and firing a round at Nebula, even though it was blocked. "Eclipse!" Sun and Viola dash forwards, their semblances rushing forwards like a small army. Shade then flashes before Dew, and the two pole-weapon users duke it off. Nebula tries to fire a round at the Iron Lord with her crossbow, but Viola uses her bow to distract the other archer. Sun quickly moves off to occupy Gwen while Neptune takes shots at Octavia.

"Guys!" Dew shouts, trying to break away to assist her team.

"Sorry, but your opponent is me!" Shade taunts, using Forgotten Night to vault over Dew and land before her while he kicks up sand in her direction. While the move was ineffective to the Vacuo native, it became much more useful as the Iron Lord turns the sand into flying glass shards with his weapon. Dew evades out of the way, summoning a dust devil and sending it roaring at Shade. The Iron Lord fights the raging winds for a few seconds, before diving into the center of the tornado.

"What?" Dew asks herself, before shrugging. Suddenly the temperature around her rises significantly.

"Physics 101!" Shade's shouts over the winds. "Strong, spiraling winds make flames stronger. Strong flames can create their own windstreams, and counter whirlwinds!" The dust devil is engulfed in flames, and then dissipates. Standing in the center with a minor hit to his aura was Shade. "You're good. However, large attacks like that can always be overcome with science." Dew grits her teeth as the two become locked in combat once again.

Meanwhile, Viola was showing Nebula who was superior in archery. While the crossbow user was an excellent marksman, Viola was simply better. Frustrated, Nebula charges forwards, her crossbow morphing into a sword as she closes the distance. A shadow covers Viola, before more of her Shadow Clones bumrush the charging Nebula. Viola's bow then splits into twin daggers and she engages Nebula in a flurry of sparks.

Sun, however, was having an easy time. While Gwen was no pushover, she wasn't prepared to face the full-frontal fighter that was Sun Wukong. Spectral clones followed by shotgun shells and physical attacks overwhelms the girl and leaves her out of the running before she could really do anything. With Gwen out of the way, Sun moves over to assist Neptune, instantly blindsiding Octavia. With two of NDGO out, the remaining two quickly got double teamed.

Neptune backs up Viola, using his Guandao to counter the Nebula's sword. However, this was a terrible matchup. Since his weapon had a longer reach, Nebula got in close and eliminated Neptune. Viola then got a well-placed shot in, blasting Nebula back and out of the arena. The leader hits the ground frustrated.

Shade, was holding his own with Dew. Their weapons a blur as sparks fly. Seeing the rest of her team elimated, Dew summons forth a massive tornado that picks up Sun and Viola and flings them out of the arena. Shade, however, had expected it, activating his semblance to flash forwards. He hooks Dew in her midsection, and the added power from his semblance allows him the fling the girl across the arena. The alarm ring.

"And Dew Gayl's aura has entered the red! An astounding show of teamwork from Team SSSN!" Professor Port shouts. "SSSN moves to the next round!" While Port announced the winners, Shade had moved over to help Dew get to her feet.

"Easy, you're gonna feel a bit numb for a couple minutes." The Iron Lord informs, his helmet morphing into his armor.

"We stood no chance, didn't we?" Dew asks, a frustrated look on her face. Shade grins softly as he shakes his head.

"Naw. You did well. NDGO as a whole did well." He assures, as the rest of NDGO arrives to see what was going on. The rest of SSSN walks into the locker rooms. "The biggest flaw however, was that you allowed yourselves to be split up. Now, against Sun and Viola, who can literally create a small army, it's hard to counter. Another main issue was that you played defensive the whole time. Prioritize protecting each other over fighting off the enemy. Octavia, you're sorely lacking in the range department, while Gwen, you lack at the up close combat. Usually these can be covered by the other, until you two get split." The Iron Lord walks off the arena, motioning the other team to follow him. "Outside these things, I also noticed that you didn't utilize the area as much. Had you gone into the water zone, Neptune wouldn't have done anything. Nebula, using the sand to create a smokescreen could have bought you time to advance on Viola. Dew, don't bank everything on those tornados. As you saw, some mad science can counter act it."

"Why are you helping us?" Nebula asks.

"Because, while I am the same age as you I am an Iron Lord. When I see skilled teams who need a little push to help them, I'll help. Just because I am an Iron Lord doesn't mean I see myself above everyone. It's an added duty, and it is my responsibility to give advice as a more experienced person as well. I survived something nobody thought was possible. Now I must share my wisdom with others to help them improve.

"You sound like a teacher." Octavia states. Shade blinks.

"Do I?" He asks. The four girls nod. "Interesting. Back to the matter at hand. It's minor details in the fact that you still have three more years of school. But no time like the present. I hope I was helpful."

"You were." Dew confirms. "Thank you." Shade grins as he walks off.

"Oh, and one last thing." Shade interjects, looking back to the four. "Keep moving forward. You four have skill. You just need more time to test, to learn how to open your mindset. You've impressed me, keep up the good work." With that, he exits the locker room, leaving the four girls staring at his back. Outside the room, he see Blake and Luna waiting for him.

"I'm so proud of you!" Luna says, giving her student a headlock. Shade chuckles lightly.

"I take it you two heard everything?" He asks.

"We? The whole stadium did. You forgot to turn off your comm when the match ended." Blake chuckles. Shade blinks.

"Ahh hell." He groans, much to Luna and Blake's amusement.

"So what now?" Blake questions. Shade shrugs.

"Want to go read? Got nothing better to do." The Iron Lord asks. Blake thinks, then nods.

"You two lovebirds have fun!" Luna crackles. Shade sighs while Blake smirks slightly. The two teens make their way down to the Commons. A large lounge-like area where all the competitors can go to pass the time and meet fellow students from other schools. Blake and Shade find a corner near a lamp, and the two cuddle up and begin reading a book entitled _Destroyermen: Into the Storm._ The two bunker down and begin reading. They don't notice the rest of RWBY, SSSN, Team JNPR, Team CFVY, and the rest of the vanguard enter and take up space around the couple.

To any of the visiting students, they'd see a group of Beacon students having a good time hanging out.

 **That's a wrap. Short chapter for yall. Sorry everyone.**

 **I've been busy with college and family stuff, but I apologize for the delay.**

 **As always, reviews are welcome. Constructive criticism is welcome. Flames are not.**

 **Ciao Bellas!**


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